Courtesy of Jeff Lynne's ELO
Jeff Lynne‘s relaunched incarnation of the Electric Light Orchestra kicks off a new North American tour this evening in Anaheim, California. The 20-date trek, which will feature the late George Harrison‘s son, Dhani, opening all of the shows, is plotted out through an August 1 concert in Pittsburgh.
Lynne recently was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for his work with ELO, as a solo artist, and as a member of the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, which, of course, also featured George Harrison, as well as Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison.
On the red carpet at the Songwriters Hall of Fame event, Jeff told ABC Radio that he was excited about Dhani joining his band on the tour.
“It’s gonna be great, ’cause I love Dhani,” he enthused. “He’s a great lad. And, you know, I’ve known him since I first met his dad. So, it’s just 30-odd years…I’ve always thought the world of him. And now it’s time for him to come and play in front of us.”
Besides working with George on the two Traveling Wilburys album, Jeff co-produced and co-wrote songs on Harrison’s hit 1987 solo album, Cloud Nine. In addition, he and Dhani collaborated to complete George’s final studio album, the posthumously released Brainwashed.
Lynne also told ABC Radio that he was surprised that the ELO’s music has experienced a resurgence in popularity.
“It’s kind of weird. I’ve never thought of it like that, but people have been telling me,” he noted. “You know, [they say], ‘Wow, you should see it…this place, they’re playing all your stuff, and this place, they’re playing all your stuff, and they go mad for it.’ So that’s good.”
Here are Jeff Lynne’s ELO‘s 2019 North American tour dates:
6/20 — Anaheim, CA, Honda Center
6/22 — Sacramento, CA, Golden 1 Center
6/24 — San Jose, CA, SAP Center
6/26 — Vancouver, BC, Canada, Rogers Arena
6/28 — Tacoma, WA, Tacoma Dome
6/29 — Portland, OR, Moda Center
7/3 — Nashville, TN, Bridgestone Arena
7/5 — Atlanta, GA, State Farm Arena
7/7 — Tampa, FL, Amalie Arena
7/9 — Sunrise, FL, BB&T Center
7/11 — Washington, D.C., Capital One Arena
7/13 — Philadelphia, PA, Wells Fargo Center
7/16 — Newark, NJ, Prudential Center
7/18 — Toronto, ON, Canada, Scotiabank Arena
7/20 — Detroit, MI, Little Caesars Arena
7/23 — Grand Rapids, MI, Van Andel Arena
7/25 — St. Paul, MN, Xcel Energy Center
7/27 — Chicago, IL, United Center
7/30 — Columbus, OH, Nationwide Arena
8/1 — Pittsburgh, PA, PPG Paints Arena
Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.