Current:Home > ScamsIs there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance. -WealthRise Academy
Is there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance.
View
Date:2025-04-17 04:15:40
WASHINGTON – Six years ago, Jeff Lynne delighted fans when he brought his Electric Light Orchestra to the U.S. for the first time in decades.
Never one to tiptoe out of his preferred studio confines with any regularity, Lynne nonetheless crafted an absolutely dazzling production stocked with gripping visuals (in a pre-Sphere world) and perhaps the most pristine sound ever heard at a rock show.
Guess who’s back and as aurally flawless as ever?
This Over and Out Tour – a believable farewell given his age (76) and the reality that he isn’t a road dog – is in the middle of its 31 dates and will wrap Oct. 26 in Los Angeles. At Capital One Arena in D.C. Wednesday, Lynne, still shaggy, sporting tinted glasses and mostly in supple voice, didn’t have much to say other than many humble acknowledgements of the crowd’s affection. But who needs to blather on when there is a brisk 90-minute set of lush ‘70s and ‘80s classics to administer?
More:The Eagles deploy pristine sound, dazzling visuals at Vegas Sphere kickoff concert: Review
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
ELO dropped a setlist that romped through '70s classics
Aside from the opening “One More Time” – obviously chosen for its literalness – from ELO’s 2019 album “From Out of Nowhere,” the sonic feast concentrated on the band’s ‘70s output, seesawing from Top 10 rock smashes (“Don’t Bring Me Down”) to deep cuts (“Showdown”).
Complementing these impeccably recreated gems was a slew of eye candy. Lasers and videos and spaceships (oh my) buttressed each offering in the 20-song set, with an animated witch morphing into a creepy eyeball (“Evil Woman”) and green lasers enveloping the arena like ribbons in the sky (“Telephone Line”).
Lynne’s band was loaded with familiar names from the previous tour, including the rich string section of Jessie Murphy (violin) and Amy Langley and Jess Cox (cello) and standout vocalists – really more than mere backup singers – Iain Hornal and Melanie Lewis-McDonald, who handled the heavy lifting on the giddy “Rockaria!”
One unexpected offering, “Believe Me Now,” was added to the setlist a couple of weeks ago. An instrumental album track from ELO’s 1977 mega-selling double album, “Out of the Blue,” the song, an intro to the equally moving "Steppin' Out," exhales chord changes so sumptuous, they’ll make your eyes water.
More:Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band still rock, quake and shake after 50 years
Jeff Lynne and ELO say goodbye with a smile
But that’s a feeling frequently evoked during the show, coupled with the joy of hearing these sculpted beauties one final time.
The crisp opening guitar riff of “Do Ya,” the disco-fied “Last Train to London,” the wistful dreamscape “Strange Magic,” all unfurled with precision, but not sterility.
A sea of phone lights held aloft accented “Can’t Get it Out of My Head,” a technological illumination replacing the lighters that reigned 50 years ago when the song was released.
But that all preceded the standout in a show stuffed with them – the musical masterpiece “Turn to Stone.” Between the rapid-fire vocal breakdown nailed by Hornal and Lewis-McDonald – which earned its own ovation – and the furious, frenetic build to a musical climax, the orchestral pop dazzler electrified the arena.
Close to the bliss of that corker was show closer “Mr. Blue Sky,” an anthem of optimism that still sounds like sunshine. Bassist Lee Pomeroy high-stepped through its Beatles-esque bouncy rhythm while Lynne and the band traded layered harmonies on the pop treasure.
It was as obvious a closer as “One More Time” was the opener, but really, how else could Lynne leave a multigenerational throng of fans other than with a smile?
veryGood! (1955)
Related
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- See full RNC roll call of states vote results for the 2024 Republican nomination
- RNC Day 2: Here's what to expect from the convention after Trump announced VP pick
- Thousands of Philadelphia city workers are back in the office full time after judge rejects lawsuit
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Jack Black 'blindsided' by Kyle Gass' Trump shooting comment, ends Tenacious D tour
- King Charles III and Queen Camilla Pulled Away From Public Appearance After Security Scare
- Singer Ingrid Andress says she was drunk during panned MLB anthem performance, will get treatment
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Ingrid Andress Checking Into Rehab After Drunk National Anthem Performance at Home Run Derby
Ranking
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- The president of Florida’s only public historically Black university resigns after donation debacle
- Sean O'Brien, Teamsters union chief, becomes first Teamster to address RNC
- Thousands of Philadelphia city workers are back in the office full time after judge rejects lawsuit
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Summer pause: Small business sales growth tapers in June as consumers take a breather on spending
- Shannen Doherty, ex-husband Kurt Iswarienko's divorce settled a day before her death: Reports
- When is Amazon Prime Day 2024? Dates, deals and what to know about summer sales event
Recommendation
Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
JoJo Siwa Reveals Her Home Was Swatted Again
The president of Florida’s only public historically Black university resigns after donation debacle
Judge refuses to extend timeframe for Georgia’s new Medicaid plan, only one with work requirement
South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Crack Open
When is Amazon Prime Day 2024? Dates, deals and what to know about summer sales event
Hamas says Gaza cease-fire talks haven't paused and claims military chief survived Israeli strike