Current:Home > NewsSafeX Pro:Is there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance. -Elevate Profit Vision
SafeX Pro:Is there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance.
TrendPulse View
Date:2025-04-10 05:03:27
WASHINGTON – Six years ago,SafeX Pro 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! (39335)
Related
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Louisiana Tech's Brevin Randle suspended by school after head stomp of UTEP lineman
- Jrue Holiday being traded to Boston, AP source says, as Portland continues making moves
- Ukraine aid left out of government funding package, raising questions about future US support
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Ryan Blaney edges Kevin Harvick at Talladega, advances to third round of NASCAR playoffs
- A populist, pro-Russia ex-premier looks headed for victory in Slovakia’s parliamentary elections
- NFL in London highlights: How Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars topped Falcons in Week 4 victory
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- The Supreme Court’s new term starts Monday. Here’s what you need to know
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Ryder Cup in Rome stays right at home for Europe
- Steelers QB Kenny Pickett suffers knee injury vs. Texans, knocked out of blowout loss
- 1 mountain climber's unique mission: to scale every county peak in Florida
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- 90 Day Fiancé's Shaeeda Sween Shares Why She Decided to Share Her Miscarriage Story
- In a good sign for China’s struggling economy, factory activity grows for the first time in 6 months
- Pakistani Taliban attack a police post in eastern Punjab province killing 1 officer
Recommendation
The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
Young Evangelicals fight climate change from inside the church: We can solve this crisis in multiple ways
Amber Alert issued for possibly abducted 9-year-old girl last seen at state park
Donald Trump says he will be in courtroom for New York trial scrutinizing his business practices
Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
90 Day Fiancé's Shaeeda Sween Shares Why She Decided to Share Her Miscarriage Story
As if You Can Resist These 21 Nasty Gal Fall Faves Under $50
Supreme Court to hear cases on agency power, guns and online speech in new term