Jeff Lynne and ELO in Palm Desert, Calif., on Aug. 24.Jason Stoltzfus/Supplied
Jeff Lynne’s ELO, formerly known as the Electric Light Orchestra, touched down at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Monday.
The fun brilliance the Brits laid on the full house felt alien, but not because of the giant, multicoloured space saucer that dominated the stage backdrop. The mini-orchestral grandeur, the Beatles-pop sensibilities and the lyrical wit came from a galaxy far, far away. Some know it as the 1970s, and the children of that era in attendance must have felt as if their mothership had landed.
Mr. Blue Sky, Don’t Bring Me Down, Evil Woman, Livin’ Thing and other masterpieces excited the night and pleased the nostalgia junkies to no end. There were vocoder moments, of course. My god, if they can put a man on the moon, why can’t anyone get melodic-rock whimsy back on Top 40 radio regularly?
Maybe it is because they don’t make maestros like Lynne any more. The shaggy songwriter from Birmingham, Warwickshire, is 76 years old and the last remaining member of the group formed in 1970. A reluctant frontman, he called on a guitarist to introduce a 13-piece ensemble, which included a violinist and two cellists. He never had a big voice; he sure doesn’t now.
He moved around as much as his still thriving mop of a hairdo did, which is to say not at all. The stock-still Lynne makes Bob Dylan look aerobic in comparison. Though the former Traveling Wilbury didn’t talk much between songs, his quietness should be chalked up to gentle introversion, not impoliteness. Most of his thank-yous were swallowed up in the applause.
“You know this is our last tour, right?” he asked midway through the 19-song set. We knew. “We’d all like to thank you for sticking with us all this time,” he finished.
The group officially disbanded in 1986. Since reviving the ELO brand in 2001, Lynne and accompanists have toured occasionally and released three albums. The concert opened with One More Time, from 2019′s From Out of Nowhere, the most recent LP.
Come on, let’s go
We gotta give it some rock ‘n’ roll
Hey baby, we’re rollin’ on the road again
We gotta give it everything we got
Until the joint is falling apart
Just one more time …
I’d forgotten how convincingly ELO could rock. Despite its ornate embellishments, One More Time is an old-style stomper – roll over Beethoven, tell Jerry Lee Lewis the news. Likewise, 1977′s Do Ya is a barre chord banger. Next was Showdown, used so well in the 1996 comedy Kingpin, the second-best bowling film ever made. Mixing opera and simple rock, Rockaria! was a gas. It is tongue in cheek, about a woman who is “sweet on Wagner” and “loves the way Puccini lays down a tune.”
Disco made an appearance with Last Train to London, a song that triggered thoughts of white leisure suits and any number of Gibb brothers. Can’t Get It Out of My Head was for the school-gym slow-dance people. Before Fire on High, Lynne challenged the audience: “See if you can remember this one.” Anyone who watched CBS Sports Spectacular in the late 1970s will never forget the song’s intro, used as the weekend television show’s musical theme.
On it went, hit after memorable hit. Contemporary pop radio long ago turned its back on melody, and where has that got them? It is a shame, but tuneful rock bands such as Canada’s New Pornographers and other ELO disciples never stood a chance.
The concert closed with the Beatles-raiding bop Mr. Blue Sky: “We’re so pleased to be with you, look around see what you do, everybody smiles at you.” Right back at you, Mr. Lynne.