Are they touring with their famous old school stage set up?
You mean the big UFO light rig? No. There was a pretty good light show to go with it, but no UFO. It was like this: https://i2-prod.birminghammail.co.uk/incoming/article15265477.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/1_Jeff-Lynnes-ELO.jpg
No. When they came to America Airlines Center in Dallas last year, they had a set of tall synchronized video panels (here, showing the ELO saucer) that displayed rolling images as the band played different songs.
At various times during the show, there were lasers blasting out into the audience as well.
Afterwards give them marks out of ten, that will be your ELO rating.
Congrats on getting to see ELO. I watched an interesting video about them last night: The Story of "Mr. Blue Sky" - YouTube
For example, did you know there is Morse code in “Standin’ in the Rain”?
Stat nerd humor! 
We saw the show, and it more than lived up to our expectations! Great music, a gorgeous light show and interesting, eye-catching videos playing on four big screens, and some very impressive laser effects, too.
Dhani Harrison and his band opened, and played four or five songs - nothing that really blew me away; their sound sort of reminded me of the Smashing Pumpkins.
Setup for ELO after that didn’t take too long. Taking the stage: Lynne, a female and a male singer (the latter of whom played guitar several times, too), two cellists, one violinist, four guitarists, three people on synths/pianos, and a burly, hard-pounding drummer.
The setlist:
“Standin’ in the Rain”
“Evil Woman”
“All Over the World”
“Showdown” - with a different ending than the original - not bad, just different
“Do Ya” - revealed Lynne’s reduced vocal range, unfortunately - another singer carried much of the song
“When I Was a Boy”
“Livin’ Thing” - the beautiful female violinist in a little black dress came out front to play her part, which she did very well indeed
“Handle With Care” - Dhani Harrison returned to the stage to sing the lead vocals from this Traveling Wilburys song; this version had a much more staccato instrumental ending than the original
“Rockaria”
“Last Train to London”
“Can’t Get It Out of My Head”
“10538 Overture” - never a favorite of mine, but it was well-done
“Shine a Little Love” - with awesome green lasers sweeping the entire Nationwide Arena
Lynne then introduced one of the guitarists (I didn’t catch his name) to introduce all the other musicians on the stage, which struck us as a little odd - poor memory at his age, or just not that well-informed on who he’s performing with?
Next up:
“Wild West Hero” - a particularly sweet, winsome performance
“Sweet Talking Woman”
“Telephone Line”
“Don’t Bring Me Down” - with an interesting piano interlude
“Turn to Stone” - blew the roof off the place!
“Mr. Blue Sky” - ditto, but they didn’t pant after the line “Running down the avenue,” so we did it for them…
Lynne and everyone in the band then came forward in one long line to bow to the exuberant crowd, and then turned their backs on us for a selfie.
They all left the stage, but returned after a minute or two for the encore:
“Roll Over Beethoven” - also very high-energy, including an extended guitar solo in the middle.
Lots more applause and calls for another encore, but no go. The house lights came up and that was that.
A great show. We’re very glad we went.
Sounds absolutely magnificent!!
Aye; that sounds like a fantastic show!
From what I’ve recently heard, Jeff’s voice sounds just great. Apart from “Do Ya” how was he otherwise?
I hadn’t gotten a chance to return to this thread after seeing them here in Chicago last Saturday. I’d seen them last year, and I felt like the show was maybe even a bit better this time around – Jeff’s voice struck me as being a little stronger this time (though, Elendil’s Heir is right, he seems to not have the high range he used to – but then, he’s also 71!) On the other hand, I think that his voice has become a little fuller in the lower part of his range as he’s aged, and on some of the songs (like Telephone Line), he might sound even better now than he did in the '70s. Compared to last year, I felt like Jeff sang more, and played more, while only leaning on the other vocalists in certain sections.
He has an exceptionally solid backing band with him, and they really sounded great. As noted upthread, he must have a very good sound engineer; this was probably the best-sounding concert I’ve seen at the United Center, and the vocals were particularly crisp and clear.
The playlist was very similar to what they played last year. I think that the only song they played this time around which was “new” was “Last Train to London.”
One thing I discovered, in doing a little digging around on the web, is that they did vary one thing on the playlist over the course of this tour – in some shows, they performed “Xanadu” in place of “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” (which also incorporated the “Eldorado Overture” from the original album).
The guitarist he introduced is named Mike Stevens (I had to look it up); he’s been the musical director for ELO since Jeff re-formed a touring band a few years ago. I’d be surprised (or, at least, I hope) that it’s not a case of Jeff not knowing the names, so much as he is just so soft-spoken, and just doesn’t talk much to the crowd.
Pretty good - I’d agree with kenobi 65’s analysis (and I’m sorry you didn’t make it to Toronto after all).
We saw them in Detroit. The stage-floor light show was excellent, which was good for us in light of our upper deck seating.
Damn - I saw the DC show 7/11 and we got Xanadu. I would gladly have traded that for Can’t get it Out of My Head.
Did the same female singer who sang the lead in “Rockaria,” sing that? I’m guessing ONJ didn’t show up.
Actually Jeff Lynne sang it, if memory serves. He had some help on that one, but I think it was the male backup singer.
Sorry, not the lead, but the female opera-singer part which begins the song and appears a few times after that.
Jeff had actually done an “ELO only” re-recording of “Xanadu” about 20 years ago, with him singing lead. It’s on the three-CD greatest-hits set, “Flashback,” which was released in 2000.
As much as I love Jeff, Olivia was one of my teenage crushes, and I still prefer the version with her on it.
Here’s the concert review from the Columbus, Ohio paper for the show we saw (posted here because you need a subscription to see it on the paper’s website):
**Concert review | Jeff Lynne’s ELO: Orchestrations of classic hits remain crisp in live performance
**
By Curtis Schieber
For The Columbus Dispatch
Posted Jul 31, 2019 at 5:12 AM
Updated Jul 31, 2019 at 8:05 AM
Why did Jeff Lynne’s ELO perform its many hits in Nationwide Arena on Tuesday night to sound exactly like the original recordings?
Because it could. More importantly, because the 13-piece ensemble was able to play Lynne’s finely-constructed but simply intoxicating songs almost as spontaneously as if every instrumental solo, vocal nuance, and string part was created on the spot.
Reproducing songs such as the “Eldorado Overture,” “Showdown,” and “Telephone Line” in a live setting is a daunting task. The songs contain small ensemble string parts, tight harmonies, and thickly-textured arrangements — all relatively simple to create in the controlled environment of the recording studio but far more daunting in the final mix-down during a concert.
From the opening “Standin’ In The Rain,” though, the dialogue among the 13 musicians and the balance of the sound mix was spectacular. Lynne’s songs combine classical music instrumentation with rock rhythms and lovely pop melodies in an unlikely combination that demands precision. ELO’s presentation had that in abundance on Tuesday night.
That left the songs themselves and the musicians’ nuanced performance to distinguish the experience from listening to the records at home.
Interestingly, the only weak link was Lynne’s voice, accurate and supple as ever but slightly diminished in confidence and volume. It seemed the sound engineer adjusted accordingly, mixing the leader a little low.
That’s splitting hairs, though.
Early-on, the opening chords of “Evil Woman” produced goose-bumps — the result of decades hearing the unforgettable hook of its melody and reveling in its sentiment.
The disco groove of “All Over The World” sounded not at all dated, its arrangement fresh again. “Do Ya,” a tune from Lynne’s days in rock band The Move, was among the songs pointing fingers at Lynn’s wide-ranging roots. Performed by his group last night, it was all-out rock-and-roll. The juxtaposition of primal rock and classical arrangements is one of ELO’s most lasting accomplishments. “Eldorado Overture” is one of pop music’s greatest homages to classical composition: its shifting into the mesmerizing pop tune “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head,” one of ELO’s shining moments.
The evening was so right that it suggested this might be a last offering from Lynne, who has rarely toured during recent decades. If it is, his performance will give the songs staying power for a very long time.
Dhani Harrison opened with a short set that sounded nothing like his “Fab Father.” A thick blend of keyboards and guitars, his songs had a deeply mystical quality and a prog rock sound that echoed Peter Gabriel but felt like Tool without the sinister side. The five-piece band expertly performed Harrison’s songs, which lightened in tone towards the end but never suggested his family legacy.
And a more detailed review by the Pittsburgh paper of the concert there, the last on the tour: https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music/2019/08/02/Jeff-Lynne-s-ELO-PPG-Paints-Arena-review-Pittsburgh-Dhani-Harrison/stories/201908020080