It's the end of the line: Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra are doing one final run before heading out of the galaxy. Announced on March 18, the band's 27-date Over and Out tour kicks off Aug. 24 in Palm Desert, California, and wraps up Oct. 25 in Los Angeles, California. Ticket sales begin March 22 here and here, with the possibility of additional dates before Lynne & Co. bring things to a close.
Like many a legacy band with multiple members, Lynne's ELO is one of two versions that still stands. To clarify, Lynne dissolved the original incarnation in 1986, while drummer Bev Bevan brought in new musicians and continued on as ELO Part II, causing a rift with Lynne that remains to this very day.
Lynne however, rebuilt ELO in 2001, bringing on only original keyboardist Richard Tandy, and released an album (Zoom) to lackluster sales and a canceled tour. But in 2014, after playing at The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to The Beatles, and working with Bryan Adams, Lynne was convinced to play the headline slot in September at the Radio 2 Festival in Hyde Park. That concert, according to Lynne in an interview with The Quietus, was "easily the best concert I've ever been involved with".
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With that as the impetus, Lynne pushed forward and released Alone In The Universe in 2015 (which Q described as "warm-hearted, consummate, just about perfect") and 2019's From Out of Nowhere. A 2020 tour was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the band playing its most recent show at VetsAid in Chula Vista, Calif., last November.
The original incarnation of ELO was a 16-year run from 1970 to 1986. In that span of time, the Birmingham-bred group led by Lynne fused pop with classical string arrangements and the now recognizable futuristic iconography. Their 1971 debut The Electric Light Orchestra/No Answer was released while the group – Lynne, Bevan and Roy Wood – were a still paired together as the Move for financial reasons. After Wood departed to form Wizzard, Lynne and Co. began the journey that would net them recognition for their hooky melodies and expansive landscapes. The group's biggest hits include "Showdown," "Can't Get It Out Of My Head," "Turn To Stone" and "Mr. Blue Sky," with the latter used to hilarious effect in the opening credits of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2.
Four key members of ELO – Bevan, Lynne, Tandy and Wood – were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 by presenter Dhani Harrison.
Check out ELO's full tour dates below:
8/24 – Palm Desert, CA @ Acrisure Arena
8/27 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
8/28 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
8/30 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
9/1 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
9/6 – St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
9/7 – Indianapolis, IN @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse
9/9 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
9/10 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
9/13 – Cincinnati, OH @ Heritage Bank Center
9/14 – Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
9/16 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
9/20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
9/23 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
9/25 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
9/27 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
9/30 – St, Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
10/2 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
10/9 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
10/11 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
10/12 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
10/15 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
10/16 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
10/18 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
10/21 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
10/23 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
10/25 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
