“It took a little coaxing”: The show Jeff Lynne had to be talked into playing
It normally takes a small army to put together any halfway decent rock and roll show. Even though everyone might have fun putting a track together in the studio, playing it in front of someone is where everyone can have that cathartic release after those hours of overdubbing. Although Jeff Lynne was normally comfortable not having to strut his songs around too much onstage, he eventually needed to be talked into playing this massive stage show for one of his musical brothers.
At the same time, was Lynne ever really comfortable with the live show? Most bands thrive in that kind of space, but by the time the ELO frontman started turning in complex arrangements, it was soon becoming less and less possible to have every single session player on hand to perform for an entire setlist.
As if Lynne didn’t need more Beatles comparisons, his problem was actually similar to what the Fab Four had gone through. There were so many grand ideas that he had for what his songs could be, but there was no way that he was going to limit his imagination strictly because of what he could do in a stadium.
And once he started his career as a producer, he became a little too comfortable in the chair in front of the glass. Now that he didn’t have to deal with monitor problems, he could lay back and watch his musical babies come to life, whether that was making his own records, producing the final Beatles tracks, or strapping on a guitar and playing alongside The Traveling Wilburys. When George Harrison passed away, though, Lynne knew he had to come correct when paying tribute to him.
While Harrison’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame came a few years too late, Lynne and Tom Petty were on hand to induct him into rock and roll history. Despite being a man of few words most of the time, Lynne was incredibly gracious for having the honour of inducting one of his heroes, but Petty remembered him getting cold feet when it came to performing during the tribute.
Despite having a who’s who of talent onstage, the heartland rocker remembered Lynne trying to fade into the background, saying, “[It] took a little coaxing to get him to do ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps.’ Because he never appears live. Ever. He just doesn’t do it. Hasn’t done it in years and years. So it took a little coaxing to convince him on everybody’s part. And I think he was really happy that he did it.”
Granted, no one was going to be paying attention to Lynne once he started performing with the group. By the time Prince showed up with his signature Telecaster, he left everyone onstage with their mouths on the floor, playing the kind of solo that was equal parts tasteful and flashy, almost like if Eddie Hazel, Angus Young, and Harrison himself pulled off the solo.
Lynne persevered through the short set, and when he was indicted into the Hall of Fame on his own, Dhani Harrison did the honours by telling stories about how Lynne and his dad worked together. If there was any night where the ELO frontman broke his vows of silence onstage, it’s only fitting that it would be for one of his fellow reluctant rock and roll stars.
