The Electric Light Orchestra will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April and on Monday in Savannah Center, the group called The Orchestra showed why.
Watch video of their performance here:
The Orchestra is made of former ELO members and the seven-piece band delivered an intoxicating blend of rock and pop with classical overtones.
That was the symphonic-rock formula that turned ELO into one of the most popular bands of the 1970s and ‘80s. The group sold over 50 million records and had 30 hit singles.
Jeff Lynne was the mastermind songwriter and performer with ELO but he left during the late ‘80s. The band reformed at ELO II and is now called The Orchestra. Lynne also currently tours with his own ELO group.
The Orchestra’s sound was rich and pure, straight out of ELO’s glory days.
“Evil Woman,” is an ELO standard, and was an ideal, upbeat pick for the opening number.
Eric Troyer, who played with John Lennon and Billy Joel, was at the keyboards and gave the band plenty of energy and vocal range. He may not be Lynne, but Troyer can sell a song and deliver the vocal goods. The same could be said for Parthenon Huxley on lead guitar.
Those two really kicked out some serious jams on “Rock and Roll Is King,” a number packed with Chuck Berry guitar licks and Lennon-McCartney harmony. There was more rocking on “Shine A Little Love.”
It was back to power-pop on “Hold On,” and things slowed a bit for “Can’t Get It Out of My Head,” with the memorable starting lyric, “Midnight on the water/
I saw the ocean’s daughter.” The song had a dreamy melody that built to an explosive finish.
Also in the pop mix were “Livin’ Thing” and “Xanadu.”
The band members have playing ELO songs for nearly three decades and have musical credibility.
Longtime member Mik Kaminski played some virtuoso violin and Louis Clark added depth on keyboards. His son, Louis Clark Jr. showed up to play cello, adding the richness of the sound. Gordon Townsend kept the beat on drums and Glen Burtnik played bass.
Put them all together and you get the essence of ELO. That was true on such classic numbers as “Strange Magic,” “Showdown,” and “Turn to Stone.”
Members of The Orchestra flashed their instrumental chops on “Fire On High.” That number showcased the musical skill of a veteran band that knows how to pace a show and entertain an audience.
The near capacity crowd at Savannah was on its feet cheering after a rocking, “Mr. Blue Sky.”
“Do Ya” was a complete rock and roll symphony with that memorable lyric: “do ya do ya want my love.”
This was a night of vintage ELO music, worthy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Henry Gross, who was a founding member of Sha Na Na and had a hit single called “Shannon,” opened the show. Gross performed an energetic acoustic set with highlights being “Shannon” and a doo-wop sounding cover of “Blue Moon.”
