Cover image from GQ
This morning I sat in my bed wearing my Danny Elfman shirt fighting off the urge to fall back asleep after waking up at 1:45AM to watch the Coachella Weekend Two livestream. As someone who grew up on the movies that Elfman scored and later became a fan of Oingo Boingo, I was excited, but no less confused when I heard he would be playing Coachella this year. His name stood out like a sore thumb on the lineup and I think everyone had the same questions about what he was going to play. For the past 27 years, the only live performances he did were showcasing his film scores, with the occasional Boingo song here and there, (Hollywood Bowl in 2018 following a film score showcase) not particularly the music of a festival like Coachella. The prospect of him playing Oingo Boingo songs excited lots of fans, both long-term who had not seen Boingo live since the 90s, as well as newer fans who have been stuck with the same recordings of their performances from 30 years ago (my personal favorite being from 1985 at The Ritz). And of course, Elfman released a full length industrial rock/metal album in 2021, Big Mess, a product of the pandemic. All three of these prospects were exciting to fans, and honestly, we were just thrilled to see him on stage again.
When he performed for the first weekend of Coachella last week, he took command of the stage and presented only the weirdest and most Danny Elfman-like performance possible, blending all three major components of his 40-year career. With a small orchestra and choir on stage along with a band, we heard scores like the Batman theme sandwiched between the eccentric Oingo Boingo tunes and the heavy, pounding songs from Big Mess. With his stage of 50 musicians, it goes without saying that a performance like this has never been done before at a festival, let alone Coachella - one that is often chalked up to becoming more and more shallow and strictly for the photos.
In an interview with Variety, Elfman said “Look, we have 30 minutes to set up a show that’s never been performed with 50 musicians on stage.” That proved to cause some issues during the first weekend, specifically with the balance and mix. Elfman expressed his distaste for the mix in the same interview: “You know, there’s that perfectionist side of an artist that’s like, if I don’t hear these things (in the mix), it throws me totally off balance. And was most proud of myself at the end of the evening for being able to push past that and enjoy it regardless of the part that was difficult for me — the handicap.” He continued to explain how the mix was especially off for the YouTube livestream, now a ten-year tradition of the festival to be able to share the music with everyone at home - something that has become even more important since the beginning of the pandemic. Despite these tech issues, the first performance was still very well received. Elfman worked alongside his team for the past week to ensure that the mix was where they wanted it to be for weekend two, specifically upping the guitars, bass, and vocals.
Then came weekend two. He opened the set with “Sorry” from Big Mess, filling the stage with the sharp guitar riffs and punching vocals of the choir. They jumped right into the Oingo Boingo classic, “Insects”, producing an iconic image of Elfman doing jazz hands while screaming “SUCK SUCK SUCK” following images of Mitch McConnoll being sucked into Donald Trump’s mouth on the screen behind him. More songs passed by, including the Spider-Man (2002) Main Title and two Boingo songs, “Nothing to Fear (But Fear But Fear Itself)” and “Just Another Day.” The lights dimmed and Elfman reemerged wearing the iconic white and black pinstripe jacket of Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), launching into a three-song medley from the movie. His voice was iconic as ever with scenes from the movie playing behind him on the screen. I was absolutely elated to hear the first notes of “Breakfast Machine” from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985), the first movie that Elfman scored. The whimsical tune was accompanied by Elfman and the choir playing snare drums with wide grins on their faces. Then the violent violins kicked in for “Kick Me” (Big Mess), with the guitars and Elfman’s vocals punching through the air as he sang “Fuck me, I’m a billionare, I love the attention.” Then we got “Insanity” (Oingo Boingo), the Batman (1989) theme, and “True” (Big Mess). After a moment of darkness, Elfman, now shirtless, chimed in with the choir to sing the iconic line, “The Simpsons” as they launched into the theme with the addition of blaring guitar solos. (It’s interesting to note that at this point, you can see far more phones out recording in the audience than any other song in the performance.) Without a break, they jump into “Only a Lad” (Oingo Boingo) then “Love in the Time of COVID” (Big Mess). Toning it down after Elfman sang the lyrics “I want to see you without your clothes, without your skin,” the orchestra plays “Ice Dance / Grand Finale” from Edward Scissorhands (1990), with beautiful images of snow adorning the screen. Then Elfman welcomed Steve Bartek, Oingo Boingo’s original guitarist and Elfman’s long-time work partner, to play guitar for the hit Boingo song, “Dead Man’s Party,” the only Boingo song they have played together since the band’s final years. Bartek went straight from conducting the orchestra to hammering out the long retired riffs of “Dead Man’s Party” in his casual looking style of not using a pick. He still sported the same exact moves from 30 years ago, doing his little steps in place and subtly grooving along. Then came the final score piece, “Alice’s Theme” from Alice in Wonderland (2010), followed by the first single to come off of Big Mess, “Happy” with its ever-so Danny-Elfman visuals. They closed out the set with “Who Do You Want to Be” (Oingo Boingo), with the addition of a verse that references the Kardashians, Logan Paul, Kanye West, and Justin Bieber. As the band came up to bow, Elfman ended the set by saying, “Thank you for bringing me out of hibernation and back to life again.”
Seeming to have aged backwards, the 68-year-old Elfman made it through his hour-long set with an incredible amount of energy, barely stopping to catch his breath. The outdoor stage only helped to make the performance look more magical with the wind blowing his hair across his face, giving even more life to the performance.
As exciting as it would be for Elfman to tour with this type of electrifying and eclectic set, he told Variety that “I really have no plans other than just do the shows and then just talk about it and see where it is… Obviously, I couldn’t make things more difficult for myself than doing this kind of show. If I were touring (just) with ‘Big Mess,’ it would be a lot easier, because I could do that with a much smaller string section and singers. But I think we’ll just see.”
You can watch the full performance here (Coachella please don’t arrest me).
Full Setlist
Sorry (Big Mess)
Insects (Oingo Boingo)
Spider-Man Main Title
Nothing to Fear (But Fear Itself) (Oingo Boingo)
Just Another Day (Oingo Boingo)
Jack’s Lament / This is Halloween / What’s This? (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
Breakfast Machine (Pee Wee’s Big Adventure)
Kick Me (Big Mess)
Insanity (Oingo Boingo)
The Batman Theme
True (Big Mess)
The Simpsons Main Title Theme
Only a Lad (Oingo Boingo)
Love in the Time of COVID (Big Mess)
Ice Dance / The Grand Finale (Edward Scissorhands)
Dead Man’s Party (Oingo Boingo)
Alice’s Theme (Alice In Wonderland)
Happy (Big Mess)
Who Do You Want to Be (Oingo Boingo)