The Electric Light Orchestra's Final Curtain

It was quite a show. On September 6, 2024, my fiancée and I saw one of our favorite bands on their final tour. It was Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). The Over and Out Tour was a greatest hits visual spectacle.

The tour began on August 24, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida and ends on October 25 in Los Angeles. The band has been in existence for 54 years and was formed in 1970 in Birmingham, England. Formed by Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood and Bev Bevan, the band has achieved great success and risen through the ranks. This incarnation of ELO, called Jeff Lynne's ELO for legal reasons, has all new members except Lynne.

“It was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen,” said Ashlyn Weber, 19. Weber has been a fan of ELO since he was a child. Her father introduced her to the band through songs like “Telephone Line” and “Don't Bring Me Down.” I always knew the band's songs, although not by name, until Weber inundated me with their magical music on long car rides. Songs like “Last Train to London” and “Rockaria!” really touched me.

Their music creates a special balance of unique instrumentation and catchy lyrics. My typical '70s playlist consists of Black Sabbath and AC/DC, while Weber's has friendlier bands like The Doors and artists like Glen Campbell. But ELO manages to unite our tastes through their mastery of melody and lyricism.

The concert itself was worth the trip to St. Louis and the price of admission. “There were very few gaps between songs,” Weber said. “They would move on to the next song in about a minute.” This pace was helpful because neither she nor I enjoy incomprehensible, one-sided conversations with older musicians. At the last concert we attended, Alabama at the State Fair, the lead singer babbled in a way that combined a thick Southern accent with the slurred voice of a man who had recently suffered a stroke. Lynne, on the other hand, was much more understandable and seemed to really just want to play his music.

Still, it was obvious that it was time for Lynne to retire. At least twice during the concert Lynne sang out of sync, and I'm not entirely convinced his guitar was plugged in. At one point it got so bad that another member had to step in to sing for Lynne, but couldn't keep the tempo of the song. However, “Although Jeff Lynne was aging and visibly exhausted, they captured the essence of the original recordings,” Weber said.

All in all the concert was great. Knowing a playlist so well that you can sing every song with the audience is an experience like no other. If you have never heard of ELO, I recommend checking out “Evil Woman,” “Mr. Blue Sky” and “Strange Magic”.