At the completion of his American tour, Jeff Lynne OBE announced that his band’s final ever gig would be at London’s Hyde Park in July 2025, with no other UK shows planned. However, such was the demand for tickets that additional shows in Birmingham and Manchester were added for the week leading up to Hyde Park.
Demand remained so high that a further date was added at each venue. Tonight was the first of these shows, held at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena.
The evening opened with ‘One More Time’ from ELO’s 2019 album From Out of Nowhere, a fitting mantra for what is a farewell tour. Then the hits began: ‘Evil Woman’, ‘Do Ya’, ‘Showdown’, and fan favourite ‘Last Train to London’.
The production elements were every bit as impressive as the music. The band performed in front of an oval video screen, mimicking the shape of the iconic ELO spaceship, which displayed an array of graphics tailored to each song. These ranged from Tolkien-esque landscapes to ELO’s signature visuals of spaceships, planets, and other cosmic ephemera. The lasers and lights were sophisticated and spectacular, creating an ideal atmosphere in the arena.
Jeff looked slightly awkward while singing and later explained why: he had broken his hand the previous week and was unable to play his guitar.
‘Steppin’ Out’, ‘Rockaria!’, ‘10538 Overture’, ‘Strange Magic’, and ‘Sweet Talkin’ Woman’ followed. Jeff’s backing band, guitarist and 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 of Amy Langley, Jess Murphy, and Jess Cox, was outstanding in ensuring the sound remained authentically ELO.
The support act was a fairly turgid set from the Dhani Harrison Band. Yes, George’s lad. But the real reason he was on the tour became clear when he joined Jeff for two Traveling Wilburys numbers: ‘Handle With Care’ and ‘End of the Line’. The audience loved these songs and the accompanying Wilburys visuals, singing along with gusto.
Without his guitar, Jeff simply stood in front of the microphone. Any time he needed to move away from it, a crew member guided him, no doubt a safety precaution due to trip hazards and the fact that he’s now 74.
‘Can’t Get It Out of My Head’ is a slower number, and the audience spontaneously waved their phone torches in time with the melody. Hard to believe that used to be done with lighters.
In one of those things bands do when trying to disguise a song, Jeff’s ELO played the unfamiliar instrumental from their back catalogue ‘Fire On High’ before launching into a euphoric version of ‘Livin’ Thing’. Things then slowed down with the beautiful ‘Telephone Line’. Jeff clearly wanted to close the night with the orchestra playing everyone’s favourite tunes, as ‘All Over the World’, ‘Turn to Stone’, ‘Shine a Little Love’, and ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’ brought the main set to a glorious conclusion. The audience were on their feet, applauding and shouting for more.
Eventually, the band returned, and Jeff shuffled back on stage for the final song of the night; ‘Mr. Blue Sky’, of course. This show, and the remaining four concerts on Jeff Lynne’s ELO farewell tour, are nothing less than a celebration of his legacy. His endearing modesty, occasional vocal fumble, and missed cue only add authenticity and charm to the performance.
The Over and Out tour is a respectful and stirring goodbye to a true orchestral rock pioneer. Hyde Park in a week’s time will be something special indeed and this reviewer will be there.
Reviewer – Adrian Cork
On – 05.07.2025
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