Current:Home > ScamsSurpassing Quant Think Tank Center|Is there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance. -Streamline Finance
Surpassing Quant Think Tank Center|Is there a better live sonic feast than Jeff Lynne's ELO? Not a chance.
NovaQuant Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-07 14:40:34
WASHINGTON – Six years ago,Surpassing Quant Think Tank Center 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! (29)
Related
- Kansas City Chiefs CEO's Daughter Ava Hunt Hospitalized After Falling Down a Mountain
- Daily 'breath training' can work as well as medicine to reduce high blood pressure
- See Every Guest at King Charles III and Queen Camilla's Coronation
- Poverty and uninsured rates drop, thanks to pandemic-era policies
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- Ten States Aim for Offshore Wind Boom in Alliance with Interior Department
- House Oversight chairman to move ahead with contempt of Congress proceedings against FBI director
- What happened on D-Day? A timeline of June 6, 1944
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Bernie Sanders’ Climate Plan: Huge Emissions Cuts, Emphasis on Environmental Justice
Ranking
- Illinois Gov. Pritzker calls for sheriff to resign after Sonya Massey shooting
- Climate and Weather Disasters Cost U.S. a Record $306 Billion in 2017
- Battle in California over Potential Health Risks of Smart Meters
- Debate 2020: The Candidates’ Climate Positions & What They’ve Actually Done
- Man charged with murder in death of beloved Detroit-area neurosurgeon
- J&J tried to block lawsuits from 40,000 cancer patients. A court wants answers
- Some hospitals rake in high profits while their patients are loaded with medical debt
- How Muggy Is It? Check The Dew Point!
Recommendation
Kehlani Responds to Hurtful Accusation She’s in a Cult
Human Rights Campaign declares state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans
California Declares State of Emergency as Leak Becomes Methane Equivalent of Deepwater Horizon
What Chemicals Are Used in Fracking? Industry Discloses Less and Less
Tony Hawk drops in on Paris skateboarding and pushes for more styles of sport in LA 2028
What are your chances of catching monkeypox?
The number of hungry people has doubled in 10 countries. A new report explains why
Bow Down to These Dazzling Facts About the Crown Jewels