Jeff Lynne has broken hand on opening night of ELO farewell tour
Although ELO are set to end their performing career on a high, their farewell tour has not got off to the best start, as frontman Jeff Lynne was seen with a broken hand on its opening night.
The musician was not able to play his classic guitar during the band’s first night at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on July 5th due to the injury, but it still did not stop him performing a stellar set in spite of it.
According to Ultimate Classic Rock, he told the audience: “I’ve had a guitar in my hand all my life, but not tonight,” before noting that “Nothing would keep me away from you.” Lynne did not divulge the story of how his broken hand was sustained, but rumours swirled on social media that it concerned an incident involving the door of a taxi.
Instead, Dhani Harrison, son of George Harrison joined the band when it came time to perform a number of The Traveling Wilburys’ hits, including the somewhat ironically-titled ‘Handle With Care’, given the context.
Despite his injury, the frontman will continue to perform on the band’s Over and Out Tour, taking in a stop in Manchester on July 9th before bidding their final farewell at Hyde Park in London on July 13th.
When the band made the announcement of the special show last year, Lynne said: “My return to touring began at Hyde Park,” explaining therefore, “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!’”
After the curtain has gone down on ELO’s final ever performance in a week’s time, Lynne is committed to continuing his musical career, even if not with his original band. He told Mojo previously that he is planning to return to the studio full-time. He said: “This is not a farewell to music. I am excited to return to the studio full-time, which is what I love!”
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