Review: Jeff Lynne’s Birmingham farewell - a heartfelt homecoming for a Brummie legend
We went to the first night of Jeff Lynne's farewell tour at Birmingham Utilita Arena - here's our verdict on the show
Saturday night at the Utilita Arena Birmingham wasn’t just a concert – it was a time machine.
Jeff Lynne’s ELO, on their sold-out Over and Out farewell tour, delivered a spine-tingling send-off in the city where it all began.
From the first chord, Lynne reminded us all why he's a hometown legend. Every classic was there: “Evil Woman,” “Livin’ Thing,” “Don’t Bring Me Down,” and for the encore, the eternal crowd-pleaser, “Mr. Blue Sky.” The crowd, visibly emotional and occasionally misty-eyed, sang every word like they were back in the 70s with an 8 track in the glove box and the windows half-down.
What truly made the night special wasn’t just the songs – it was Jeff himself. A gentle, softly-spoken figure on stage, he radiated quiet charm, giving the crowd little thumbs-ups and his signature “alright”. Minus the usual guitar due to a broken hand, he still took the stage and told the crowd that nothing would keep him away. Lynne, ever the Brummie, still sounds like your mate from down the road – albeit one with a spaceship-shaped stage and a back catalogue that changed music forever. It was clear he felt the love – and he gave it right back.
For me, the night was more than just a gig. I was lucky enough to share it with my sister, visiting from Australia. As Lynne launched into “Sweet Talkin’ Woman,” we both flashed back to childhood road trips down the A5 to the Welsh coast, in the back of our parents’ car – dodgy seatbelts, cigarette smoke (not ours!), and all. I can only remember these songs from my very early years, but somehow they’ve stuck with me. Looking around, it was clear we weren’t alone in that kind of nostalgia. These songs mean something – to families, to generations, to Birmingham itself.
The crowd was truly united by music that’s aged better than most of us have. As Jeff sang, “All over the world, everybody got the word” – clearly, they have – even my sister heard about this tour before she got off the plane from Melbourne.
It felt fitting that Lynne’s long goodbye included this night (and the following day) in Birmingham. A local lad, now a global icon, taking his final bow where it all started. If this truly is “Over and Out,” then what a beautiful way to sign off.
