Well, I sadly never saw ELO in their heyday (...as a '90s kid, I wasn't even born when any of their studio albums, excluding 2001's 'Zoom', were released!), but I'm sure that if I had, the experience of seeing them live would have been similar to seeing their dedicated tribute band tonight. The ELO Experience were simply fantastic. Their sound was so close to the real thing, that whenever I closed my eyes and just listened to their music it was as if I'd put on an ELO record! They were that good.
In terms of energy and connectivity with the audience, the show started out a bit flat. The band may have had cool lights and a snazzy projector, but the musicians themselves didn't really move around much onstage and seemed, at times, slightly disconnected from the audience. Aside from a few enthusiastic members of the audience dancing, the crowd as a whole was generally quite still, content with just listening to the music. This was completely reversed after the interval, however, as the whole room clapped, waved glow sticks in the air and sang along to hits like 'Twilight', 'Roll Over Beethoven' and 'Turn to Stone'. The atmosphere of this second half of the concert was electric (excuse the pun!). The pitch-perfect performance that the band displayed before the interval took on a new dimension as they ultimately captured the atmosphere, as well as the sound, of an ELO concert.
The highlight of the night was the band's finale, 'Mr Blue Sky'. When the band left the stage after 'Don't Bring Me Down', I felt... well, very down! 'Mr Blue Sky' is my all-time favourite ELO song, and I simply couldn't believe that the band hadn't played it! When they came back onstage however, and the first notes of 'Mr Blue Sky' filled the room, the audience let out a collective sigh of relief! ELO's biggest hit went down a storm.
To sum up, I'd definitely recommend that any ELO fan jumps at the chance to see The ELO Experience if they're performing in your area. Their tribute performance may not be the real thing, but nonetheless, they create a buzzing, incredibly fun atmosphere, and ultimately a great night full of great music!
...Oh, and bring glow sticks!
PsyD
