When the Electric Light Orchestra made their Madison Square Garden debut on February 11, 1977, the band was at the height of their popularity, thanks to a string of hits over the previous two years, including “Livin' Thing,” “Rockaria!”, “Do Ya,” “Strange Magic” and “Evil Woman.” But most critics were unimpressed with the performance. “A typical ELO song consists of clichéd verses attached to a big, fat melody and repeated over and over again.” New York Times Critic John Rockwell noted of the show: “It's a bit boring (to this listener; the audience loved it) but not at all offensive. It sold a lot of concert tickets, singles and albums.”
The band’s immense popularity at the dawn of the punk era made many bands suspicious. But time has been kind to Jeff Lynne’s unique blend of progressive rock, orchestral music, disco and pop. Despite 40 years since the band’s first real American hit, they still have enough fans to play two nights at Madison Square Garden as part of their Over and Out farewell tour, which kicked off August 24 in Thousand Palms, California, and runs through October 26 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. (Possible dates for the 2025 show have yet to be announced.)
This is a very different ELO from the one that played MSG in 1977. They are now called Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra to distinguish themselves from pseudo-spinoff projects like ELO Part II and The Orchestra. Keyboardist Richard Tandy was the only remaining member of the original band that Lynne brought back when he revived the ELO name in 2014, but health problems forced Tandy off the road in 2016, and he died earlier this year. His absence has been deeply felt.
This was also a different Jeff Lynne than we saw on ELO’s last tour in 2019. He came on stage slowly, delivered his vocals with less force and clarity than last time, said very few words to the audience, and for the first time in ELO’s history assigned all the lead guitar work to others, sticking to rhythm parts that were very hard to discern in the mix. But it was largely noticeable because he barely seemed to age a day between 1986 and 2019, and he deserves to be given a lot of slack considering he’s now on the cusp of his 80th birthday.
The excellent band he assembled for the tour, which included guitarist Lee Pomroy, bassists Milton McDonald and Mike Stevens, keyboardist Marcus Byrne, drummer Donavan Hepburn, and a three-piece string quartet, made up for any shortcomings in Linn’s performance. They reproduced the sound of the original ELO recordings with astonishing accuracy, mastering every subtle detail. They also brought Linn’s vocals to life when they needed a little help.
The show kicked off with the song “One More Time” from 2019. Out of nowherean appropriate choice given that this was ELO's final tour. “We gotta give it some rock 'n' roll. Baby, we're on the road again/We gotta do our best/Til the joint falls apart/Just one more time,” Lynn sang.
This was the only selection that night from the group’s post-reunion catalogue. The rest of the show was a journey through ELO’s most beloved songs from their heyday, starting with “Evil Woman” and continuing with “Do Ya,” originally recorded by Lane’s 1960s band, The Move, before he made it big with ELO. “Showdown” was a chance for violinist Jessie Murphy and cellists Jess Cox and Joe Webb to show off their skills, and backing vocalists Melanie Lewis-MacDonald and Ian Hornall to hit the highest notes on “And It’s Raining All Over the World.”
“Can’t Get It Out of My Head” was a reminder that Lynne could write a romantic piano ballad better than almost any of his peers, and “Last Train to London” proved that few ’70s bands could incorporate disco into their sound as brilliantly as ELO. The band covered an enormous musical ground in their relatively short career.
The hits “Livin' Thing,” “Turn to Stone” and “Don't Bring Me Down” were the biggest crowd reaction of the night, but the band also performed the hardcore hits “Shine a Little Love,” “Fire on High” and “Steppin' Out.” They closed the show with “Mr. Blue Sky” as a single. It was just one of their many hits in the '70s, but Guardians of the Galaxy Part 2 and Super Mario Bros. Movie It has been introduced to a new generation in recent years, and has become one of their signature tunes.
Lane had a very successful career as a producer once he shut down ELO, but his old band largely faded from memory in the 1990s and early 2000s. When Lane initially tried to revive the label in 2001 for a North American arena tour, it was canceled due to extremely low ticket sales before they could play a single public show. Homer asked Lisa on a 2003 episode of Traveling Wilbury, “Who's your favorite Traveling Wilbury?” The Simpsons“Is it Jeff Lynne?”
The joke was that no one could pick Lynn over Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, George Harrison and Roy Orbison, despite his enormous role in assembling the group and shaping its sound. But the persistence paid off for Lynn. A successful 2014 show in London’s Hyde Park led to a handful of concerts the following year, and then a series of arena tours between 2016 and 2019 that finally brought ELO back to its ’70s glory.
It’s easy to be cynical about a farewell tour, since 90 percent of it is a ploy to fill seats and drive up ticket prices. But this tour feels real. There are fan grumbles about the 90-minute show, Lane’s lack of guitar skills, and the emphasis on hits over anything the band has produced in the past decade. But this tour is a well-deserved triumph for a true pop genius, a gift to fans to take a ride on his spaceship one last time.
Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra at Madison Square Garden setlist:
once again
evil woman
Do you do that?
confrontation
Trust me now
Step out
last train to london
Rockaria!
10538 Introduction
strange magic
sweet talk woman
I can't get it out of my head
fire is rising
something alive
telephone line
All over the world
Turn to the stone
A little love shines through
Don't discourage me
Mr. Blue Sky
