Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) has announced that they will perform their final show at London’s Hyde Park on 13 July 2024. The event is part of the British Summer Time (BST) outdoor concert series, a fitting venue for the band’s swan song given its historical significance in ELO’s recent resurgence. Tickets for the highly anticipated show will be available for general sale on 25 October, with a pre-sale starting on 23 October.
Lynne, now 76, reflected on the choice of venue in a statement on Instagram: “My return to touring began at Hyde Park in 2014. It seems like the perfect place to do our final show.” That 2014 concert, part of BBC Radio 2’s Festival in a Day, marked the first performance under the moniker Jeff Lynne’s ELO and revitalised the band’s touring career. It was also their first live performance in 28 years.
The upcoming Hyde Park concert will follow the band’s ongoing “Over and Out” farewell tour across North America, which began in August and is set to conclude at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on 25 October. The tour was named before the death of ELO’s co-founder and long-time keyboardist Richard Tandy, who passed away in May this year at the age of 76. Lynne paid tribute to Tandy, calling him a “remarkable musician” and “dear friend.”
Tandy had been an integral part of ELO since its inception in 1970, when the group emerged from the Birmingham music scene. Known for blending rock with classical music, the band dominated the charts in the 1970s and early 1980s with hits like “Mr. Blue Sky”, “Evil Woman”, and “Don’t Bring Me Down”. Their distinctive sound, characterised by symphonic strings and lush arrangements, became a defining feature of the era’s popular music.
After disbanding in 1986, Lynne shifted his focus to production, working with notable artists including George Harrison and Tom Petty. However, ELO’s legacy continued in various forms, most notably through the contentious ELO Part II, led by original drummer Bev Bevan. This incarnation of the group toured without Lynne’s involvement, which created a lasting rift between the two.
It was not until the release of Zoom in 2001 that Lynne resumed his role at the helm of ELO, though an accompanying tour was ultimately cancelled. A true reunion did not materialise until 2014 with the aforementioned Hyde Park performance, followed by the release of Alone in the Universe in 2015 and a high-profile slot at Glastonbury in 2016.
The Hyde Park show in 2024 will not only serve as a capstone to the band’s remarkable 50-year career but also marks the closure of a chapter in British rock history. Jim King, CEO of European Festivals at AEG Presents, expressed his excitement about hosting the gig, saying: “Jeff Lynne’s ELO are loved the world over. The live shows are nothing short of extraordinary and a testament to the incredible catalogue of hits we’ve enjoyed for over 50 years.”
