Jeff Lynne’s ELO Returns to the Stage

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Jeff Lynne and the current ELO lineup returned to the stage on Wednesday night (June 21) at Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, UK, for the first time since their triumphant April 7 performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2017 induction. The evening’s 22 songs included as many as six that weren’t performed at last year’s mini U.S. tour.

Missing was keyboardist Richard Tandy who was noticeably absent from the April induction ceremony. Lynne said at Sheffield that Tandy hasn’t been feeling well.

Other than their brief set at the Rock Hall event, this was ELO’s first performance since last September. The band performed plenty of favorites like “Don’t Bring Me Down,” “All Over the World,” “Evil Woman” and “Sweet Talkin’ Woman.” The set also included “Xanadu,” ELO’s huge worldwide hit duet with Olivia Newton-John, who recently announced that she has a reoccurrence of breast cancer. (See the complete setlist below.)

Last September’s five U.S. dates–three at the Hollywood Bowl and two at Radio City Music Hall–was part of the group’s first full-scale outing in three decades. Lynne released Alone in the Universe on November 13, 2015, under the newly named Jeff Lynne’s ELO moniker and the band did two quick dates then. A lengthier U.K. and European tour was held in 2016 but other than that a full tour never materialized. (This Sheffield date was announced last November 21.) It was expected that Lynne would use the springboard of the group’s long-awaited Rock Hall induction to announce a world tour, as many acts have done before, but the big night came and went with no further word, leaving fans both puzzled and disappointed.

Watch the evening’s opening performance of “Standin’ in the Rain” from Out of the Blue

Watch “Livin’ Thing”

Watch “Xanadu”

We can never get enough of “10538 Overture”

Listen to the crowd singing along to “Wild West Hero”

Here’s “Mr. Blue Sky,” the final song before the encore

Jeff Lynne’s ELO, June 21, 2017, Sheffield Arena Setlist

Standin’ in the Rain
Evil Woman
All Over the World
Showdown
Livin’ Thing
Do Ya
When I Was a Boy
Handle With Care
Last Train to London
Xanadu
Rockaria!
Can’t Get it Out of My Head
10538 Overture
Twilight
Shine a Little Love
Wild West Hero
Sweet Talkin’ Woman
Turn to Stone
Don’t Bring Me Down
Mr. Blue Sky