“You might know this one,” smiles Jeff Lynne from behind his glasses as he surveys his second sold-out night in his home city.
He’s about halfway through his set at this point, and he’s already knocked out 11 songs everyone knows—but still, as “Sweet Talkin’ Woman” starts, Jeff isn’t wrong.
As a measure of Lynne’s skill and status, the next two songs he plays are “Handle With Care” and “End of the Line,” both from the Traveling Wilburys. A brilliant band, of course—but you’ve got to be Premier League to get anywhere near that lineup.
Taking the George Harrison role on those two is Dhani Harrison, George’s son, who had opened the show as well.
His music is a world away from anything else on tonight, but it’s never less than compelling.
The psychedelic opener “Never Know” is hypnotic, while “New Religion” adds an electronic flourish.
He’s on for 45 minutes, and this is quite the soundscape. “Summertime Police” broods and builds.
“Right Side of History”—especially pertinent given recent events—acts as a kind of centrepiece, and he ends with a couple of tracks from his band Thenewno2, with “Yomp” in particular showing some proper energy.
Never mind the name—Dhani Harrison doesn’t play gigs to crowds this big very often, and if it’s not his natural habitat, then no matter: you can’t deny the talent.
And “talent” is a good word for the rest of it too. Because whether it’s the singer—the man who conceived, wrote, and produced these songs—the brilliant band behind him, or the sensational production, this just screams class.
But none of that matters, of course, unless you’ve got great songs—and for 95 minutes here, Jeff Lynne’s ELO delivers one after another.
From “Evil Woman” to the out-and-out glam rock of “Do Ya” (from his time in The Move) and on and on, when you hear these played like this, you really get a sense of just how good this band is.
And how original they are too. Has any band embraced the string section in rock ’n’ roll history as well as they do?
These are just superb. “Last Train to London,” a marvellous version of “10538 Overture,” and “Strange Magic” bring us to where this review started—but what happens after we travel with the Wilburys is almost perfect.
Fifty years at the very top means you know how to pace a set, and my goodness, how all this comes through when things switch gear and race for the finish (not literally in Lynne’s case—he’s struggling after a taxi crash and isn’t playing guitar or moving too well).
With “Livin’ Thing,” this really is something special.
“Telephone Line,” gems like “Turn to Stone,” and a mighty singalong of “Don’t Bring Me Down” round off the main set.
But of course, there’s an encore—and you know what it is. “Mr. Blue Sky” is a stunning pop song, and this has been a stunning show.
It’s an obvious parallel to draw, but the night before this, another second city legend brought the curtain down on a storied career just up the road.
A little more low-key, perhaps, but Jeff Lynne has just a few left. I wasn’t at Villa Park, but I was here—and if Sabbath were better than this, then good luck.
We will not see their like again. And we might not know what we had until we realise what we’ve lost.
