Preparations for the tour that never was can be heard on VH-1 Storytellers. Electric Light Orchestra, with Jeff Lynne fronting new material with From Out of Nowhere, sounds eager for a return to the stage. A global pandemic wiped out those chances and it seems to have knocked the interest Lynne has for the project. The Over and Out Tour will mark the final performance of the band, though whether this means no new material too is unconfirmed. We retreat, then, into what we know will remain. VH-1 Storytellers does well to master the BBC Recordings Lynne and the band were using to warm themselves up for another cancelled showcase. Their luck when it came to live shows was just not there. Zoom was cancelled due to a lack of ticket sales, From Out of Nowhere was canned because of a virus. Here is what remains of the tour that never was.
Opener Evil Woman is a bit of a clanger, with Lynne not quite grasping the right tone. His staggered vocals are in contrast to a tightly wound instrumental section, which has barely changed since the song was first performed live all those decades ago. That is a grand shortcoming of ELO. They are such a rigid live band that the hopes of hearing a little flutter of difference, that flicker of stage-only brilliance, is, at best, vapid. Still great fun, but borderline identical to how it sounded in the studio all those years ago. At least there are a few surprises within, the first being Handle With Care. What precedes it, including Xanadu rip All Over the World, are nice enough moments. It is hard not to take those moments for granted because, like Evil Woman, the tone is so familiar and there is no sense of change.
While this may be a great quality for those who have never heard ELO live before, the consistency is a letdown. There is no room for innovation, for the flickers of improvisation which are so desperately needed in a live show. Livin’ Thing sounds completely unchanged, as do true hits like Turn to Stone and Mr. Blue Sky, which closes out this set. All that has changed, really, is Lynne’s voice. It is still strong enough to carry these songs, but quieter in spots. Nothing wrong with it whatsoever, it still glides through these songs well – the hardest part of these legacy acts is wondering whether they still have a voice worthy of the stage. Lynne does. It is his best asset for all these post-reunion shows. Lynne is amiable on stage, which is a consistency worth holding to.
Newer tracks like From Out of Nowhere are given a rightful showcase, and it may be the only time this ever happens. They are neat tracks on the live stage, far stronger than the older material in some regards because of how Lynne now sounds. Empty songs in the studio are given bursts of life on stage – such is the point of seeing an artist tour new material. There is a slice of what could have been an excellent tour here, but it was not to be. Slick instrumentals are expected, and the line of quality and innovation never quite bleeds together for ELO. And yet, they are a satisfying group to listen to live. This is a far superior performance than their rather sluggish Wembley or Live, despite some technical errors throughout.
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