Well, the Dead Man's Party stopped in Salt Lake City for the last time Tuesday night.
Oingo Boingo, featuring lead singer/guitarist Danny Elfman, drummer Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez, bassist John Avila and guitarists Steve Bartek along with the horn section comprised of Sam Phipps, Leon Schneiderman and Dale Turner, played a 3 1/2 hour show to a mixed crowd of about 16,000.A little paranoia, schizophrenia, neuroticism and voodoo antics filled the arena as the audience bounced, danced and shook with vigor.
Black and white teasers of schlocky B-movies such as "A Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory," "The Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow" and "The Hypnotic Eye" graced the giant video screen at the rear of the stage and set the comic-creepy tone of the evening.
Papier-mache skeletons hung on either side of the stage while the same type of mouse and devil hung on the back walls.
Band members' shadows danced against the backdrop while the Delta Center jumbotron served as a giant MTV.
At first, the audience members, some who were wearing white skull-face makeup and black vampire capes, stared in awe as Oingo Boingo sprung itself onto the stage. But by the time the bouncy "Private Life" hit the scene, the audience's inhibitions seemed to drop.
"We all know why we're here," said a mischievous Elfman as he paced the stage. "I don't want to get all mushy and gooey about it. We want to celebrate 17 fantastic years with you."
With that, the band jumped into "Gratitude." The delighted crowd chanted the snappy chorus.
Elfman, being the showman he is, strutted around the stage and sneered at the front row. His vocals rang clear, an incredible feat considering the Delta Center's notorious acoustics. It was obvious the band was in top shape as it launched into another audience favorite "Hey."
Other haunting melodies included "Dead or Alive," a remake of the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus," "Dead Man's Party," "No One Lives Forever" and the mixed tempo anthem "Nothing to Fear (But Fear Itself)."
The band also slowed things down for an acoustic set. While this is now considered too cliche-ridden for some bands, Boingo pulled it off well.
"We are now in a 99-seat coffee shop," said Elfman as he sat on a wooden stool. "It's just us and you."
Then he nodded and an accordion touched off the opening notes to the Latin-influenced, round-sounding "We Close Our Eyes." The voices and instruments carried well at first, but then became a little muddy. It cleaned itself up for the hits "Mary" and "Can't See (Useless)."
Green spotlights framed Elfman as he serenaded the audience. The aforementioned mirror ball descended during "Change" and filled the arena with millions of spinning dots while a sharp tinge of melancholy raced through the crowd - Oingo Boingo is never going to play Salt Lake City again.
The acoustic set ended as the driving pounding of "Not My Slave" roared from the band. And keeping with the hyperness, Oingo Boing slid into "Stay," as the choir-sounding crowd sang the chorus.
More spastic songs included "What Do You Want To Be," which featured a screaming trombone solo, and the saxophone-solo capper "On the Outside." The tongue-in-cheek "Wild Sex (In the Working Class)," and the funky groove of "Just Another Day" also had the audience moving in rapid fire.
The band returned to the stage and pulled out two encores that featured the neurotic cryptlike "Nasty Habit," and the exotic brain-tribute "Grey Matter." During "Grey Matter" Elfman and Avila treated the audience to round of percussion as they pounded vibraphones in unison to Hernandez's gunfire syncopation.
The expected last song, "Only a Lad," took on an unexpected turn as the Delta Center house lights flipped on - giving the concert a party-flavored feel. In fact, as soon as the arena illuminated, it felt as if the "Dead Man's Party" became an intimate gathering of 16,000. If anyone could pull that off it was Oingo Boingo. Farewell, indeed.