Jeff's Lynne's ELO: Hyde Park, 14 September 2014
I just got back from a downtown party.....The lure of ELO playing their first gig in 28 years was enough to see me leaving a tout almost in tears as I got a bargain last-minute ticket. (If only he knew I'd have paid much more...) I'm so glad I made the effort, not least because mixed with the nostalgia was a fantastic sound. Jeff Lynne and Richard Tandy, the two ELOers present, were on top form. This, despite their three-decade-absence.
And during 'Livin' Thing' I turned from being 51 to 15. The memories flooded back:
- Matthew gives me Chris's copy of 'A New World Record' (there was a taping rotation system). He has it in his Adidas bag. I tell him that is a poor transit vehicle for an LP. The cover's edges are buckled
- Chris writes the track names of the above record on a tape box (so perhaps he taped it for me. What about the rotation system? Bear with me; these are old memories)
- Chris and Richard laugh when I wear my 'Wish I was a Wild West Hero' badge at school
- My Sis and I go to Wembley Arena to see ELO in the big spaceship hamburger
It would have been amazing and nostalgic on Sunday even if they’d been rubbish. But it was a great stage show, every bit as good as Wembley in 1978. My brother-in-law and I kept looking at our watches as we both started to worry that 80 minutes wasn’t nearly long enough for the back-catalogue we wanted to hear. So, there was no ‘Rockaria’ and no ‘I Wish I was a Wild West Hero’, among others. No matter; I’ve been listening to 'I Wish I was...' on repeat every since and I’m still really in a classroom 36 years ago with my home-made badge on. Thank you ELO.
"Ride the range all the day till the first fading light.
Be with my western girl round the fire, oh, so bright.
I'd be the Indian's friend, let them live to be free,
ridin' into the sunset, I wish I could be."
