Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are expected to go ahead with their farewell performance at BST Hyde Park, organisers have said.
The rock band, best known for their hit song Mr Blue Sky, was due to perform on Thursday night at Manchester’s Co-Op Live but cancelled at the last minute due to “illness”.
It comes days before their sold-out headline slot at the London music festival on Sunday which has been described by the organisers as their final “goodbye”.
A spokesperson for the festival organisers vowed that the concert was going ahead and said: “As reported, Jeff Lynne was unwell and unable to perform on Thursday 10th July.
“We are advised that there are currently no concerns with regards to Sunday’s performance.”
The band was founded in Birmingham in 1970 by frontman Lynne and keyboardist Roy Wood.
Wood later left the group and was replaced by Richard Tandy, who had been bassist but became the keyboardist until he died last year at the age of 76.
The group, which split in 1986, is known for fusing classical music, Beatles-style pop and futuristic rock visuals, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
They are behind the ’70s and ’80s hits Livin’ Thing, Mr Blue Sky, Telephone Line and Evil Woman.
Singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer Lynne reformed the band in 2014 and they released the album From Out Of Nowhere in 2019.
The album reached number one on the UK albums charts, joining their albums Discovery (1979), Time (1981) and their compilation album, All Over the World: The Very Best Of Electric Light Orchestra (2005).
ELO also had a number of top 10 songs in the UK singles charts including Don’t Bring Me Down, Hold On Tight and Shine A Little Love.
Lynne was made an OBE in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to music, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015.
ELO are expected to perform this Sunday at BST Hyde Park.
