Jeff Lynne’s ELO Over and Out concert tour hits San Francisco

It was time to say goodbye to an all-time great.

Yet, it wasn’t going to be easy, not after all this man’s music has meant to us over the years.

Thus, understandably, there was a tinge of sadness in the air as some 11,000 fans gathered on Sunday night (Sept. 1) at Chase Center in San Francisco to witness the final tour of Jeff Lynne’s ELO.

It was, from start to finish, a glorious performance as the 13-piece ensemble reawakened one incredible classic tune after another from what is one of the greatest catalogs in rock ‘n’ roll history – the one belonging to the Electric Light Orchestra.

And I’m not sure if the triumphant nature of the performance made it harder or easier on fans, given that Lynne and company sounded like anything but a troupe whose time as come to call it quits.

It did, however, make the evening vastly enjoyable, especially when the stellar musicianship and songs were accompanied by such a spectacular assortment of video elements, light displays and special effects – as well as a laser light show that would cause even the most ardent Pink Floyd fan’s jaw to drop.

Truly, Jeff Lynne’s ELO Over and Out Tour is nothing short of the most visually stunning rock show of 2024. And pretty much all classic rock aficionados, whether they are big ELO fans or not, should try to catch this production before the band finishes up this North American trek with two shows at the Kia Forum in Southern California in late October.

Following an opening set from L.A. rock act Rooney – led by Robert (brother of Jason) Schwartzman – Lynne and crew kicked off their approximately 90-minute headlining set in appropriate fashion with “One More time.”

And the message was loud and clear.

“Come on, baby, time to rock ‘n’ roll,” the 76-year-old Lynne sang out. “Get on board, and we’ll soon be gone. Everybody gonna feel real fine.

“We’re gonna do it one more time.”

They’d definitely made this final San Francisco show count, quickly moving into greatest hits territory – where they’d pretty much remain all night long – as they loaded up the first portion of the 19-song set with such winners as “Evil Woman,” “Do Ya” and “Sweet Talkin’ Woman.”

The setlist drew mainly from that breathtaking run of music from 1974’s “Eldorado” (the fourth ELO album) to 1979’s “Discovery” (ELO’s eighth).

Although, they did include one song apiece from their 1971 eponymous debut album (known in the U.S. as “No Answer” due to a communication breakdown between the band and the record label) and their third album, 1973’s “On the Third Day” – “10538 Overture” and “Showdown,” respectively. There was also one offering (“All Over the World”) from 1980’s excellent “Xanadu” soundtrack.

There was nothing from 1973’s “ELO,” which was unfortunate since their version of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” is one of the truly essential covers in all of pop music history and would have really brought the house down at Chase.