Danny Elfman had a great time at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday night, performing for the first time.
In the middle of his career-spanning stint, the producer, movie composer, and former Oingo Boingo vocalist informed the crowd, “This is my first time on stage as myself in 27 years.” “Thank you for rescuing me from whatever it was… At the end of the set, he meekly confessed, “I forget.” “Thank you very much… “This is where I want to be.”
During an hour-long set, Elfman and his band — which included drummer Josh Freese (The Vandals, Sting), bassist Stu Brooks (Dub Trio), guitarists Nili Brosh and Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit), a full orchestra and choir led by former Oingo Boingo guitarist and orchestrator Steve Bartek — blasted through several of Elfman’s projects. Elfman’s industrial and goth rock 2021 double album, “Big Mess,” featured a few Oingo Boingo tracks, as well as choices from his work on famous feature films and new music from his industrial and goth rock 2021 double album, “Big Mess.”
“Sorry,” one of his newest tracks, came out fast and hard. Elfman controlled the stage and ferociously spit the hatred he’s publicly discussed, which led to the creation of his first solo record in over two decades.
“Kick Me,” “True,” “Love in the Time of COVID,” and “Happy,” among the other new songs, were presented with equal fervor and given much more complexity live thanks to the orchestra and choir.
The band also performed modified versions of Oingo Boingo songs including “Insects,” which Elfman revived on “Big Mess,” and “Who Do You Want To Be,” which included subtle barbs at the Kardashians, Justin Bieber, and Kanye West. Elfman rocked “Nothing to Fear (But Fear Itself),” “Just Another Day,” “Only a Lad,” “Insanity,” and Boingo’s “Dead Man’s Party,” with Bartek joining the band on guitar. Elfman performed the most Oingo Boingo songs since the renowned band disbanded in 1995 during the event.
When film composer Hans Zimmer took over the same Outdoor Stage in 2017 and performed music from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films and “The Lion King,” he created the basis for musicians in that genre to perform live at Coachella.
Elfman and crew, on the other hand, had superior visuals, using the screens on either side of the stage to provide people in the audience a better view of the action while the performers performed “Spider-Man Main Title” and “Breakfast Machine” from “Pee-Big wee’s Adventure.” “The Batman Theme,” as well as “Ice Dance” from “Edward Scissorhands,” drew a large crowd. The animated mushrooms that coupled with “Alice’s Theme” from “Alice in Wonderland” really fit the Coachella atmosphere, while the visuals for “The Simpsons Main Title Theme,” the cartoon series’ opening sequence, were vivid, bright, and strong as they played out in the desert.
