words by Patty Riek
photos by Jon Bauer
Lucky San Francisco! Danny Elfman was at the Masonic on Friday, October 2, and Saturday, October 3 for the penultimate dates of his short fall tour which concludes with his appearance at Aftershock.
Two drum sets and massive amps were harbingers of the crunchy, feedback-forward industrial sounds to come.
As the concert started, Elfman bound on stage, shirtless – tats in all their glory – and opened with “Sorry” from his 2021 album Big Mess. Working his way through other selections from Big Mess, his upcoming release (as yet untitled), and Oingo Boingo standards throughout the 20 song set. Even the Oingo Boingo songs such as “Nothing to Fear” and “Just Another Day” have been reworked in the metal mode of his new material.
While Elfman’s work with Tim Burton is delightfully dark, the videos backing his new work are psychedelically, psychologically dark – a new phase in his career for sure.
At one point, he donned his iconic striped jacket for “This is Halloween,” his delicate hand gestures a contrast to the sonic explosions.
Ever grateful, Elfman explained his special connection to San Francisco, “This is where I started” with the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo and “it means a lot to be back here.”
Known for his range, stand out vocal moments were the ones at the lower end of his register. The deep baritone sounds reverberating in contrast to the screaming guitars.
Amplifying his sound, Elfman was backed by a who’s who of rock royalty: Robin Finck – Guitar (Nine Inch Nails, Guns N’ Roses), Nili Brosh – Guitar (Dethklok), Josh Freese – Drums (Foo Fighters/Nine Inch Nails), Matt McJunkins – Bass (Puscifer, Poppy, A Perfect Circle), Irene Kim – Piano (Bright Feather Duo, The Faerie Minstrel), Dorothy Micklea – Percussion, Melisa McGregor – Producer.
Elfman closed out the show with a mash up of fan favorites and carpe diem admonition: “No One Lives Forever” and “Dead Man’s Party.”
Set List
1 Sorry — Big Mess (2021)
2 Insects — Big Mess (2021) — originally Oingo Boingo, Big Mess version
3 Nothing to Fear (But Fear Itself) — Nothing to Fear (1982) — Oingo Boingo
4 Native Intelligence — Big Mess (2021)
5 Just Another Day — Boingo Alive (1988) — Oingo Boingo
6 True — Big Mess (2021)
7 Sayonara — unreleased solo song (2026)
8 Happy — Big Mess (2021)
9 Upside Down — unreleased solo song (2026)
10 Ain’t This the Life — Only a Lad (1981) — Oingo Boingo
11 On the Outside — Only a Lad (1981) — Oingo Boingo
12 This Is Halloween — The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack (1993)
13 The River of Life — unreleased solo song (2026)
14 Monkeys on the Loose — unreleased solo song (2026)
15 Dance With the Lemurs — Big Mess (2021)
16 Kick Me — Big Mess (2021)
17 Dead Man’s Party — Dead Man’s Party (1985) — Oingo Boingo
18 In My Head — unreleased solo song (2026)
19 Only a Lad — Only a Lad (1981) — Oingo Boingo
20 No One Lives Forever — Dead Man’s Party (1985) — Oingo Boingo
