No matter how prolific someone is, there will always be swaths of people who don't realize some of the coolest things about them. For instance, many are likely unaware that film and television composer Danny Elfman, famous for The Simpsons theme, The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack (and Jack's singing voice), and countless others actually created the rock band Oingo Boingo. So suddenly, his appearances at the Coachella music and arts festival over the years make a lot more sense.
The well-known composer just made yet another grand entrance at Coachella 2022, and for those who only know Elfman for his memorable orchestral soundtracks, it's bound to be a shock of the most fun kind. During the festival, he took the stage with the promise of "a strange little show" only to completely blow that expectation out of the water. As many likely expected given the venue, he played a number of Oingo Boingo songs to the delight of fans everywhere. But beyond that, things went into overdrive as the shirtless 68-year-old led a full orchestra and rock ensemble in performances of tunes that activated nostalgia for an entirely different crowd.
Elfman went through almost his whole decades-long film composing career, tossing out heavy renditions of classics like his theme from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Edward Scissorhands, and more. But arguably the most shiver-worthy moments came when he started in on a particularly high-energy approach to both The Nightmare Before Christmas and even The Simpsons theme. With strings, horns, guitars, drums, and an enthusiastic sax player, Elfman and his on-stage entourage gave the festival-goers of Coachella a night they'll never forget.
Any '90s kids in the audience more than got their money's worth when Elfman stood up on stage backed with footage from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, as the crowd immediately cheered loud enough to drown him out. But then he began a medley of songs from the film, reprising his role as the singing voice for Jack Skellington (and other characters) through authentically energetic performances of "Jack's Lament," "This Is Halloween," and "What's This?" Seemingly living up to his name, Elfman frolicked around the stage delivering vocals that could easily have been straight from the movie itself.
On the other side of the spectrum, things got a bit more unhinged with the composer's electrifying take on The Simpsons' legendary opening theme. Similar to The Nightmare Before Christmas, he had the backing of a full orchestra and choir. But things took a turn for the radical when guitars and drums kicked in, including Elfman himself shredding out on a guitar of his own (still shirtless, naturally). Between his enchanting enthusiasm and a particularly cheeky saxophone player offering her best homage to Lisa Simpson's memorable ad-lib in the show's iconic opening sequence, it was a surreal night of wonder worth watching over and over.
As much as these performances probably felt tailor-made for fans of Elfman's orchestral work, perhaps this is a great opportunity for the uninformed to check out his new wave contributions from the Oingo Boingo days. It's never too late to discover some new music, after all.
The Simpsons and The Nightmare Before Christmas are available on Disney Plus.
Source: Chad/YouTube