When we arrive, the supportact ´the Feeling´ has just started playing. On one hand this is a rather ungrateful task to warm-up an audience that did not come to see them. On the other hand this is a wonderful opportunity for a band to introduce itself to a new audience. The performance of this band clearly shows that these guys are used to playing the bigger venues in England. The public is invited to sing of clap along the music of ´the Feeling´. In spite of the composition of the audience, singer Dan Gillespie Sells uses every trick in the book to get things going. That he succeeds in doing so is a small miracle. The average Dutch ELO-fan seems to be: 1) potbellied 2) a male 3) a baby-boomer. I don´t think these guys are like the usual audience for ´the Feeling´.
There is a long break after the Show of ´the Feeling´. During the break highlights of Jeff Lynne´s career as a musician/producer is being played. Because of this long break everybody is up for it as the supersymphosounding intro starts. The show begins with ´Tightrope´. The lightshow is of an enormous proportion, over the top. Jeff mumbles something like ´Amsterdam, beautiful city´ and continues with ´Evil Woman´.
Jeff doesn´t really say much more during the rest of the show (he introduces 3 members of the band, the rest of the band is being introduced by his ´Musical Director´(. Lynne seems to be a shy person on stage. He rather lets his music do the talking. The sound good but it´s a little too loud.
Every big hit of ELO is being played. The performance (by 13 men/women) is almost perfect. This grade of perfection fits ELO just right (it´s symphonic music with a big sound!). The people on stage are almost blown away by the mega lightshow. Lasers, projections, searchlights, anything a lighting engineer would crave for is there. Of course we see the good old UFO/jukeboxlog projected in many forms during the show.
The last 3 songs are some of the biggest hits; ´Don´t bring me down´(sounds enormously like a song of Status Quo), ´Sweet Talkin´Woman´ and their biggest hit ´Mr Blue Sky´. During playing of ´Mr Blue Sky´ it is very funny to see the distorted vocal lines being sang by Richard Tandy, the other member
The band leaves the stage but returns after the obligatory clapping and yelling. The play just one song; ´Roll over Beethoven´. It´s a nice version but I think the original of uncle Chuck is still the best.
Wout
