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Jeff Lynne’s performance at BST Hyde Park will be his last live show before he retires ELO from touring. It will be the last show of five UK dates on the Over and Out tour, which has already included 31 dates across the US since August. Before the finale, Lynne will perform two shows in his native Birmingham, followed by two nights at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.   

Given the eight month gap between his last performance in the US and his Birmingham shows, there may be a reshuffle of his live material, however nineteen songs appeared at each of the US dates and could make up the spine of the UK shows too. The setlist was a collection of the band’s biggest hits including ‘All Over the World’, ‘Mr. Blue Sky’, ‘Livin’ Thing’, and ‘Showdown’. Tickets for Lynne’s show at BST Hyde Park sold out in just two days, with prices ranging from £110 up to an eye-watering £795, excluding booking fees. Fans are already excited, with one X user writing, “What a lineup. Roll on July!” Other BST Hyde Park headliners for 2025 include Sabrina Carpenter (5 July), Zach Bryan (28 and 29 June), and was set to include Hugh Jackman until he pulled out earlier today.  

When the BST Hyde Park show was announced, Lynne took to Instagram to reflect on the significance of the park, saying: “My return to touring began at Hyde Park in 2014. It seems like the perfect place to do our final show. We couldn’t be more excited to share this special night in London with our UK fans. As the song goes, ‘we’re gonna do it One More Time!’”

 

 

 

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The Doobie Brothers BST performance will be the second leg of their upcoming UK tour running from 11 to 21 July, supporting their upcoming album ‘Walk This Road’. The album is set for release on 6 June and will be their first album with returning vocalist Michael McDonald, who last appeared on 1980’s ‘One Step Closer’. 

Steve Winwood, part of The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Clapton-led supergroup Blind Faith, shared the announcement online, but didn’t directly comment. Winwood supported The Doobie Brothers on their 2024 tour.

Dhani Harrison, son of George Harrison, hasn’t responded to the news yet, but does have a long history with Lynne. The pair performed together at the Concert for George, a tribute to Dhani’s late father a year after his passing. Lynne also worked closely with George Harrison, producing his album ‘Cloud Nine’, and was his bandmate in the supergroup The Travelling Wilburys.

 Despite BST Hyde Park being his final live show, Lynne was quick to clarify that he is not retiring from music. In a December interview with MOJO, the 77 year-old said, “This is not a farewell to music. I am excited to return to the studio full-time, which is what I love!” This return could quite easily be in a producer capacity, with Lynne having worked with The Beatles, Roy Orbison and Brian Wilson to name a few.

Having sold over 50 million albums worldwide, Jeff Lynne and ELO have left an indelible mark on music, seamlessly blending elements of pop, rock and classical. As Lynne takes the stage for one final performance, joined by 65,000 festival-goers, it will be a celebration of his remarkable career.

In response to a question on whether self-employed musicians and those working in the creative sector should find new employment as a consequence of the pandemic, the Chancellor said “I can’t pretend that everyone can do exactly the same job that they were doing at the beginning of this crisis. That’s why we’ve put a lot of resource into trying to create new opportunities.”

What’s Rishi Sunak’s message to musicians, actors, freelancers in the arts who don’t feel govt is supporting them? Should they get a different job?

The Chancellor told me it’s “not right that there’s no work available…and everyone is having to adapt.” @ITVNewsPoliticspic.twitter.com/ewrQixpAne

— Daniel Hewitt (@DanielHewittITV) October 6, 2020

The comments prompted a backlash from a host of acts, who emphasised the importance of the music sector and wider creative industries to the UK economy. Folk-pop troubadour Damon Gough (aka Badly Drawn Boy) accused the Government of having ‘given up‘ on musicians. Derbyshire rock three-piece Drenge highlighted the importance of the sector to the UK economy, a theme also picked up by alt-rockers Shame, Blur drummer Dave Rowntree and X Factor alumna Diana Vickers.

To give up on Music, Art, Film, Theatre, all other art forms which celebrate the Human Spirit.. is to give up on Life itself Mr. Sunak !

— Badly Drawn Boy (@badly_drawn_boy) October 6, 2020

The live music industry brings in £5.2 billion a year, with nearly 200,000 jobs according this report published… last November.
What training has Sunak had?https://t.co/O5LJHUUuVj

— drenge (@drenge) October 6, 2020

Northern Irish indie-rock stalwarts Ash were also keen to emphasise the jobs the music industry supports off-stage.

Not just musicians though is it? It’s our technicians, our engineers, our management, our agent, our promoter. It’s the venues, their staff, the production companies, transport, storage. It’s roughly one million people you’re throwing on the job market.

— ASH (@ashofficial) October 6, 2020

Lily Allen delivered a more tongue-in-cheek response to the Chancellor’s comments, joking that she would now “get implants and join OnlyFans“.

Rishi Sunak took to Twitter to respond to some of the criticism, saying “I care deeply about the arts which is why our £1.57bn culture package is one of the most generous in the world.” In a separate ITV News interview, Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said that the Chancellor should be working with businesses which would be viable if not for the pandemic.The Chancellor of the Exchequer’s comments coincided with a rally in Parliament Square in support of creative industry freelancers. The demonstration was organised by Let Music Live and spearheaded by Electric Light Orchestra musician Jess Murphy.

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Excellent placards at today’s demonstration #letmusiclive

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The late Sunday afternoon slot has come to be known as the ‘Legends’ slot for the iconic acts booked for it: Lionel Ritchie (who was counted among the best acts last year), Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (who brought in the festivals biggest crowds ever in 2014), to name a few.

ELO, known then as Electric Light Orchestra, was formed in 1970 by Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood. The band wrote eighteen years of hits, including “Mr. Blue Sky”, “Sweet Talkin’ Woman” and “Strange Magic”, before disbanding in 1988. Jeff Lynne resurrected the band briefly in 2001, but poor ticket sales led to the tour being cancelled. In 2013 however, a campaign lead by Radio 2’s Chris Evans resulted in Jeff Lynne reforming the band as Jeff Lynne’s ELO and playing a very warmly received Hyde Park show.

ELO are only the first act to be announced, with the rumor mill spinning frantically in typical pre-Glastonbury fashion. With Coldplay, Adele and Muse being strongly rumoured for the headline slots, there is also a good chance Radiohead might turn up, seeing as though they have a new album that may be closer than we know. What is certain though, is that Emily Eavis has promised more female acts this year.