Jeff Lynne didn’t want there to be any confusion over what we were witnessing as the Over and Out Tour kicked off Aug. 23 at Acrisure Arena. “This is our last tour ever,” insisted the Electric Light Orchestra legend, coming across like one of the few classic rockers who actually mean it when they say they’re calling it quits. “So, I’m really glad you are enjoying it.”
The 9,000-plus fans at this Palm Desert-area venue were having a blast as Jeff Lynne’s ELO soared through a 100-minute show featuring some of the best pop/rock tunes of the ‘70s. The 13-piece ensemble, led by the 76-year-old Lynne on vocals and guitar, sounded mighty strong as it reawakened one former triumph after another during a hit-filled, 21-song setlist.
Sure, there were a few rough edges — notably Lynne’s own vocal flubs, which usually had to do with him coming in a bit late on the lyrics. Yet, they were ones that one might expect to hear on the opening night of a big tour and should hopefully be all smoothed out over the next few shows.
And the fans definitely didn’t let a few minor mistakes impact their enjoyment of what may well be their last evening with Jeff Lynne’s ELO. After a solid opening set from Robert (brother of Jason) Schwartzman and his Rooney bandmates, the headliners took the stage just after 9 p.m.. They got the party started with, appropriately enough, “One More Time.”
It was the sole selection from the group’s most recent outing, 2019’s From Out of Nowhere. Other than that, the most contemporary number of the night was “Calling America,” which hails from 1986’s Balance of Power and stands as the final Electric Light Orchestra tune to make it into the U.S. Top 40.
Mainly, they just hovered around the ‘70s, pulling from one of the most incredible runs of albums in pop music history — 1974’s Eldorado to 1979’s Discovery (and, really, the following year’s Xanadu soundtrack as well), before Time broke that streak of greatness in such convincing fashion in 1981.
The group loaded up the first half of the set with some of the most beloved songs of their career — the groovy “Evil Woman,” the ominous-sounding “Showdown,” the always fun “Sweet Talkin’ Woman,” the gorgeous “Strange Magic” — and each one prompted a major sing-along from the crowd.
Day One fans loved when Lynne took us back to the eponymous first Electric Light Orchestra (known in the U.S. as No Answer) from 1971 to conjure up the towering “10538 Overture.” That led directly into “Can’t Get It Out of My Head,” the Eldorado showstopper that stands as the most beautiful ballad in the ELO songbook.
Lynne’s backing band – guitarist/musical director Mike Stevens, bassist Lee Pomeroy, drummer Donavan Hepburn, pianist Marcus Byrne, lead guitarist Milton McDonald, keyboardists Jo Webb and Shannon Harris, backing vocalists Melanie Lewis-McDonald and Iain Hornal, and a string section consisting Amy Langley, Jess Murphy and Jess Cox – was absolutely terrific and did a spot-on job recreating the ornate ELO studio sounds on the live stage.
Special mention should be given to Hornal, who did superb work shadowing Lynne and saved a few songs by being ready to step in on lead for him when he faltered with the lyrics.
The production elements were every bit as impressive as the music, with the band members standing in front of an oval video screen – mimicking the shape of the famed ELO spaceship – which displayed an array of graphics that nicely matched the vibe of each song. The visuals ranged from Tolkien-esque worlds (“Strange Magic”) to a roll call of U.S. cities (“Calling America”) to plenty of spacey ELO flying saucer stuff.
There was also an incredible laser-light display that really seemed to launch into overdrive after the troupe finished up the main set with a blockbuster “Don’t Bring Me Down” and then returned for a highly satisfying two-song encore consisting of “Telephone Line” and “Mr. Blue Sky,” the latter being the song that introduced the band to a whole new generation of listeners via the terrific opening scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
And then it was indeed over and out for Jeff Lynne’s ELO, as the band left the desert to continue this round of goodbyes with fans in North America through October.
Here is Jeff Lynne’s ELO’s setlist:
1. “One More Time”
2. “Evil Woman”
3. “Showdown”
4. “Do Ya”
5. “Sweet Talkin’ Woman”
6. “Strange Magic”
7. “10538 Overture”
8. “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head”
9. “Twilight”
10. “Rockaria!”
11. “Last Train To London”
12. “Calling America”
13. “Steppin’ Out”
14. “Fire on High”
15. “Livin’ Thing”
16. “All Over The World”
17. “Turn to Stone”
18. “Shine a Little Love”
19. “Don’t Bring Me Down”
Encore:
20. “Telephone Line”
21. “Mr. Blue Sky”