On Friday, Nov. 20, Jeff Lynne and his Electric Light Orchestra returned victoriously to America after not having performed together here in 30 years. At Irving Plaza in New York, ELO fans celebrated the return with 90 minutes of sing-a-longs and danceathons. The 18-song-set featured tunes from all over Lynne’s discography, including “Mr. Blue Sky”, “Evil Woman”, “Don’t Bring Me Down”, and “Rock & Roll Is King”, up to his most recent album Alone in the Universe, which came out earlier this year, and closing with 1973 classic “Roll Over Beethoven”.
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The rocking 12-piece band featured two cellos, a violin, three keyboardists (including Richard Tandy, from the ELO line-up in the seventies). The stage was adorned with lightbulbs, a touching addition to an already intimate evening, and of course the spaceship jukebox ELO logo, updated with “JEFF LYNNE’S” above the band’s name, giving it a more definitive touch.
Lynne was obviously touched by the experience, as the entire room sang back to him the songs he’d spent his career producing. Behind his rockin’ shades wore a smile, and a few thumbs up. The music itself is theatrical, but no one could make up the sense of mutual gratitude in the room that night.
ELO will play one more “special show” in the U.S. on Nov. 24 in Los Angeles, California at The Fonda Theatre before returning back to Europe for a summer tour.
Setlist: ELO at Irving Plaza, New York, NY – 11/20/15
Set: All Over The World, Evil Woman, Showdown, Turn to Stone, When I Was a Boy, Livin’ Thing, One Step at a Time, Strange Magic, Don’t Bring Me Down, Steppin’ Out, Sweet Talkin’ Woman, Can’t Get It Out Of My Head, When the Night Comes, Ain’t It a Drag, Rock & Roll Is King, Telephone Line, Mr. Blue Sky
Encore: Roll Over Beethoven
[H/T Rolling Stone]