On Wednesday, September 26, Jeff Lynne’s ELO performed at Capital One Arena for their D.C. stop on their final tour, “The Over and Out Tour”, across North America. The band is a revamp of the iconic ’70s band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), created by one of their founding members Jeff Lynne. The tour is a grand finale for the decades-long careers of ELO and Jeff Lynne, paying homage to their artistry, past and present.
Anticipation was high before ELO appeared on the stage, with fans young and old packing the arena. It seemed that everyone wanted to relive sentimental memories with the band from their youth, or see the band for the first or final time. After the opener ended performing, the energy was even more palpable within the stadium. When the band stepped out, cheers erupted from the crowd. Lynne, shuffling onto the stage, smiled and waved.
Without hesitation, ELO broke into “One More Time,” one of the recent songs off of their 2019 album From Out of Nowhere. This was the only newer track on the setlist, with the band largely sticking to older Electric Light Orchestra tracks—much to the crowd’s delight. The setlist, including all of ELO’s hits, has stayed the same across the tour. Each song was played in almost rapid succession, matching the high energy of the crowd. Next up was “Evil Woman”. The guitar licks on the chorus and harmonies by Lynne backed-up by his band were incredible. Their complexity erupted through the entire stadium, not lost to the excitement or the other instruments.
Although Lynne is almost 80 years old, he still sings and plays the guitar flawlessly. Throughout the show, the band was incredible as well. It featured Mike Stevens and Milton McDonald on guitar, Lee Pomeroy on bass, and Donavan Hepburn on drums, all of whom helped to ensure Lynne was spot-on the recordings, but with a little live flair, with all of the signature complexity and authenticity that ELO brings to each track.
Out of the many hits that were played, I cannot possibly do them all justice. However, my two favorites of the night were “Telephone Line” and “Last Train to London”. The first excelled in its smooth melodies and vocals, even including the signature ringtone and telephone-muffle. In this song especially, Lynne and the backup vocalists harmonized exquisitely, with each voice perfectly layering with one another. On the instrumental side, the keys felt light and airy, and the string trio maintained the beautiful arrangement of the piece.
“Last Train to London”, on the other hand, was much more punchy and upbeat. The famous bass-line was allowed to really shine—I was able to feel it in my chest. Lynne’s vocals, deep and smooth, were much more front-and-center, with him singing solo for most of the song. When the chorus hit, the strings section brightened the mood from almost the brooding and sassy verses of the song.
One of the best parts of the show was the stage; it certainly put the light in Electric Light Orchestra. There were large screens projecting animations and the band performing, strobe lights, LEDs cast into the crowd, and a large set design of the iconic ELO starship in the background. The lights were coordinated with each song, becoming brighter and moving with more frequency when anticipation would build for a chorus. Overall, this made the show feel like a full-fledged performance, rather than merely a concert.
I never thought that I would be able to say that I was going to see ELO in concert, yet I am thrilled to have been able to do so. Their legacy of pushing the boundaries of rock was showcased through their unique instrumentations and smooth harmonies. Try to catch ELO on their last tour, for one final farewell.
Leave a Reply