Is Jeff Lynne a household name? No more than a cursory stroll through the ELO mastermind’s undeniable, pop-rock canon of a catalog might lead you to this conclusion. But then again, the British musician was never one for the spotlight. Even in recent decades, as his songs become veritable classic-rock radio staples, Lynne — perpetually hiding behind those thick shades, masked by a respectable ’fro and seemingly more content releasing lesser-hyped solo albums and producing iconic LPs for other megawatt artists — remained the rare humble and dutiful rock star.

It was hardly surprising then at ELO’s sold-out gig at Allstate Arena on Wednesday night, despite waiting nearly four decades to tour the U.S. with his most famous band, the 70-year-old Lynne chose to let his expertly crafted, pristine pop-rock do nearly all of the talking.

“Wow! It’s great to be back. You look as great and lovely as ever,” Lynne said at the outset of a 19-song set, during one of only a few remarks he offered to the crowd all evening. Heavy on hit singles including the omnipresent “Mr. Blue Sky” and “Evil Woman,” the show’s tight set was largely culled from the band’s 1977 smash double-album “Out of the Blue,” and its precursor, 1976’s “A New World Record.” Still, clocking in at roughly 90 minutes, it all felt a bit fleeting … especially given the thirsty anticipation among the effusive and especially adoring crowd.

Outsize theatricality became synonymous with ELO: During its monumental late ’70s “Out of the Blue” tour, the band famously emerged onstage from a massive flying saucer. But Lynne’s expertly crafted songs — born of an equal-parts love of blues, soul and expert pop songcraft — remained front and center even when all the trappings threatened to distract. Yes, there were lasers and six video screens amping up the festivities at Allstate, but it was Lynne and the 12 musicians who joined him onstage, including three string players and two backing vocalists, who commanded the audience’s primary attention.

Why? ELO’s songs are slick pop-rock missiles. Lynne has made no secret of his rabid affection for the Beatles, and much like the Fab Four, Lynne also was a student of pop-music history unafraid to experiment but never indulgent. To that end, whether on the precise and methodical string-laden opener “Standing in the Rain” or the comparably loose, Marvin Gaye-esque R&B strut of “Showdown,” there was a whimsical-but-grounded precision at play. Even near the end of the cello-drenched “10538 Overture,” as Lynne took center stage flanked by three guitarists near the song’s propulsive conclusion, what might otherwise have felt like a loose, extravagant rock star moment for other musicians of his ilk instead played as well-rehearsed and exacting, if not a bit anti-climatic.

That the show then often felt less a spontaneous rock excursion than a master class in self-assured showmanship is hardly a knock: Should Lynne choose to extend this ELO run beyond the tour’s 10-city arena outing this summer, he’ll surely find a nice home in more intimate venues. In fact, the majority of the songs that comprised the hits-packed set — most notably the falsetto-laden “All Over The World,” the relatively obscure but tender “Wild West Hero,” and “When I Was A Boy,” the sole inclusion on Wednesday from the two albums he’s released this century under the ELO moniker — would play better in a theater than via an arena’s fuzzy public announcement system.

“The reason we’re here tonight (is) the guy who’s written and sung all these songs,” Lynne’s bandleader said when introducing him near the show’s conclusion. The man of the hour flashed only a brief smile. He bowed, and promptly launched into the next song. The applause hadn’t even reached its peak.

Dan Hyman is a freelance writer.

ctc-arts@chicagotribune.com

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