Having been a near lifelong fan of the Electric Light Orchestra [ELO] ever since my father introduced me to them back in 1978, I was never going to miss this last roll of the touring dice from their master in chief, the soulful Jeff Lynne.

Having seen them twice before on their 2018 and 2019 tours here at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena, I knew what to expect here on this aptly-named Over and Out tour, and as much as nothing had really changed - stage presence and, to a point, song wise - it was gently evident that the 76 year old maestro was indeed feeling the tests of time.

Cometh the just-past-nine o’clock hour, cometh the band, and with the house lights turned off, the stage lights started colorfully popping, the laser beams started firing and the introduction music began rising. Culling from his 2019 album Out Of Nowhere, the first song of the night is One More Time, which gives way to the magnificent trio of Evil Woman, the boombastic Do Ya, and the languishing beauty found within Showdown.

Playing one song after another, all without a break, save for the single song encore, we were treated to 20 in total and, boy, it was truly like listening to a little slice of heaven for the entire 80 minutes. One of my own personal favorites, the free flowing, grooved pop bounce of Last Train to London was delivered next and was eagerly backed by a rare album track of his. And as much as it might have passed a lot of people by, the short orchestral instrumental Believe Me Now led us perfectly into another cut from the fabulous Out Of The Blue album, Steppin’ Out.

With the always impressive, always on vocal pitch point Melanie Lewis-McDonald (whose husband Milton was playing lead guitar), offering up her incredible operatic vocals throughout, they really came to the fore on the trio that included the beloved 50’s-styed rock boogie of Rockaria!, the gripping 10538 Overture, and the simply creamy smooth Strange Magic.

Growing up with this band through the late 70’s into the 80’s and his solo stuff in the 90’s, I have always had a soft spot for some of their more prominent hit singles, such as the gushingly harmonic, pop-tastic, Sweet Talkin’ Woman, which is itself then backed by the sweepingly emotional ballad Can’t Get It Out of My Head, which then gives way to the obligatory band introductions.

A teasing amount of Fire on High kickstart’s the music again, but instead of continuing onward with it, the band instead slid right into a vibrant, and much loved by the packed house, Livin’ Thing, with a heartwarming Telephone Line, a swirling All Over the World, and a crowd appreciated Turn to Stone along next.

The show then comes to an all-too-soon close on three of his biggest, world renowned hit singles, in the shape of the all-embracing, euphorically-driven Shine a Little Love, a cheerfully sung by all Don’t Bring Me Down (shout out to any Bruce’s in the audience!), coming back after a couple of stage darkended minutes to bring us the eneigmatic Mr. Blue Sky.

Having given us the thumbs up throughout the show, and having also informed us that It’s our last tour, this one, and I’d like to thank you for sticking with us all these years, Jeff was noticeably shattered come the finale. Having to be helped on and off, and without any real chit-chat within the show, nor stage movement, this Over and Out tour is most definitely well titled.

That said, it was a night of pure, unadulterated flashbacks to a gorgeous time of musical magic, and I for one would have done anything to be there tonight to see the great man take one last touring bow for his faithful fans (shout out to Tim and Colinda). For he is a true musical genius, singer-songwriter supreme, and lest there be any confusion, all over the world he is still very much loved and adored, even now in his twilight years.

Review & Photos by: Russell A. Trunk

www.JeffLynnesELO.com

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