Current:Home > StocksIs there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance.-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Is there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance.
View Date:2024-12-23 23:30:15
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! (93739)
Related
- Louisiana man kills himself and his 1-year-old daughter after a pursuit
- A decoder that uses brain scans to know what you mean — mostly
- 'It's not for the faint-hearted' — the story of India's intrepid women seaweed divers
- Thor Actor Ray Stevenson's Marvel Family Reacts to His Death
- Lions QB Jared Goff, despite 5 interceptions, dared to become cold-blooded
- Senate weighs bill to strip failed bank executives of pay
- The pandemic-era rule that lets you get telehealth prescriptions just got extended
- Back pain shouldn't stop you from cooking at home. Here's how to adapt
- Suspected shooter and four others are found dead in three Kansas homes, police say
- Heading to Barbie Land? We'll help you get there with these trendy pink Barbiecore gifts
Ranking
- The Cowboys, claiming to be 'all in' prior to Dak Prescott's injury, are in a rare spot: Irrelevance
- Horrific details emerge after Idaho dad accused of killing 4 neighbors, including 2 teens
- Fracking Study Finds Low Birth Weights Near Natural Gas Drilling Sites
- These states are narrowly defining who is 'female' and 'male' in law
- Judge hears case over Montana rule blocking trans residents from changing sex on birth certificate
- Electric Cars Have a Dirty Little Secret
- The Voice’s Niall Horan Wants to Give This Goodbye Gift to Blake Shelton
- $1 Groupon Coupon for Rooftop Solar Energy Finds 800+ Takers
Recommendation
-
Martha Stewart playfully pushes Drew Barrymore away in touchy interview
-
How to say goodbye to someone you love
-
Will artificial intelligence help — or hurt — medicine?
-
South Dakota Warns It Could Revoke Keystone Pipeline Permit Over Oil Spill
-
Justice Department sues to block UnitedHealth Group’s $3.3 billion purchase of Amedisys
-
University of New Mexico Football Player Jaden Hullaby Dead at 21 Days After Going Missing
-
Gene therapy for muscular dystrophy stirs hopes and controversy
-
How to say goodbye to someone you love
Like
- US Diplomats Notch a Win on Climate Super Pollutants With Help From the Private Sector
- DNC to raise billboards in Times Square, across U.S. to highlight abortion rights a year after Roe v. Wade struck down
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Rep Slams Abhorrent Allegations About Car Chase Being a PR Stunt