Jeff Lynne’s ELO have announced that they will play their final show at Hyde Park in London on 13 July.
The show – part of the BST series of outdoor concerts in the capital – will follow the band’s current Over and Out tour in the US.
“My return to touring began at Hyde Park in 2014,” Lynne said in a press release. “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!’”
The Birmingham band effectively split in 1986. ELO Part II, led by Bev Bevan, continued to tour; a Lynne-led ELO returned with album Zoom in 2001, their first since 1986’s Balance of Power, but a tour for that record was scrapped.
Frontman Lynne and pianist Richard Tandy reunited to perform acoustic versions of their songs for a 2012 BBC special, and again a year later for a BBC Children in Need concert.
A fully fledged Lynne-led reunion took flight in 2014 when the band played BBC Radio 2’s Festival in a Day at Hyde park. A new album, Alone in the Universe, was released in 2015, and a subsequent tour included a slot on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury the following year.
Tandy died in May. Paying tribute, Lynne said: “He was a remarkable musician and friend and I’ll cherish the lifetime of memories we had together.”
Jim King, CEO of European festivals at AEG Presents, said: “Jeff Lynne’s ELO are loved the world over. The live shows are nothing short of extraordinary and a testament to the incredible catalogue of hits we’ve enjoyed for over 50 years.
“Hosting their final performance at BST Hyde Park is a true honour. We’re excited to be part of this special moment in music history.”
Tickets for the Hyde Park concert go on sale at 9am BST on 25 October. The rest of the BST lineup is yet to be announced.
