Current:Home > FinanceIs there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance. -FutureFinance
Is there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance.
FinLogic FinLogic Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-06 01:32:01
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! (473)
Related
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Northern Soul is thriving across the UK thanks to Gen Z looking to dance
- How long before a phone is outdated? Here's how to find your smartphone's expiration date
- Marjory Stoneman Douglas High shooting site visited one last time by lawmakers and educators
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Writer Salman Rushdie decries attacks on free expression as he accepts German Peace Prize
- Man accused of killing 15-year-old was beaten by teen’s family during melee in Texas courtroom
- Blinken says US is ready to respond to escalation or targeting of US forces during Israel-Hamas war
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Man who took guns to Wisconsin Capitol while seeking governor says he wanted to talk, not harm
Ranking
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Bad blood in Texas: Astros can clinch World Series trip with win vs. Rangers in ALCS Game 6
- Air France pilot falls 1,000 feet to his death while hiking tallest mountain in contiguous U.S.
- With another election cycle underway, officials aim to quell fears of voter fraud, rigging
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- What are the healthiest grains? How whole grains compare to refined options.
- Seahawks WR DK Metcalf misses first career game with rib, hip injuries
- The vehicle has been found but the suspect still missing in the fatal shooting of a Maryland judge
Recommendation
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Pink Shares She Nearly Died After Overdose at Age 16
Missing non-verbal Florida woman found in neighbor's garage 6 days after disappearance
5 Things podcast: Will California's Black reparations to address slavery pass?
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
Seahawks WR DK Metcalf misses first career game with rib, hip injuries
Paris Hilton Claps Back at Criticism of Baby Boy Phoenix’s Appearance
Zach Edey named unanimous AP preseason All-American, joined by Kolek, Dickinson, Filipowski, Bacot