Growing up in Southern California, Halloween meant one thing for music nerds in the mid-to-late ’80s and early ’90s: Oingo Boingo’s epic “Dia de los Muertos” concerts in Los Angeles and San Diego.
Danny Elfman and Co.’s run of multi-night Halloween stands at Irivne Meadows from 1986 to 1991 were the stuff of legend (after taking 1992 off, the band returned to the venue for its ’93 concerts, but switched to the considerably smaller Universal Amphitheatre in ’94 and played both venues for the band’s final concerts in ’95, memorialized on the Farewell: Live from the Universal Amphitheatre
And while I never made it to one to one of those Orange County shows, I do have fond memories of the rain-soaked late-October night I spent trying to sneak into one of Boingo’s traditional pre-Halloween concerts at San Diego State’s Open Air Theatre. Needless to say, it didn’t work. And I should have just bought a ticket.
So, in honor of Halloween, this installment of Flashback Video features, song-by-song, an entire Oingo Boingo concert from its 1990 run at Irvine Meadows (the band played Oct. 26, 27 and 28; I’m not entirely sure which show this is). The footage comes from YouTube user OingoBoingoFan, who also has posted Halloween shows from 1991, 1993 and 1994, as well as some great footage of Boingo at the US Festival in 1983.
VIDEO: Oingo Boingo, Irvine Meadows, Irvine, Calif., October 1990
Note: Concert is presented in complete, proper order in this embedded playlist
Setlist:
1. “Cry of the Vatos”
2. “Dean Man’s Party”
3. “When the Lights Go Out”
4. “Dead or Alive”
5. “Home Again”
6. “Skin”
7. “Glory Be”
8. “Cinderella Undercover”
9. “Help Me”
10. “Sweat”
11. “Out of Control”
12. “Flesh ‘N Blood”
13. “Grey Matter”
14. “Long Breakdown”
15. “Good For Your Soul”
16. “Elevator Man”
17. “No One Lives Forever”
18. “We Close Our Eyes”
19. “Mama”
20. “Minnie the Moocher”
21. “Dream Somehow”
22. “Not My Slave”
23. “Stay”
24. “Who Do You Want to Be?”
25. “Wild Sex”
26. “Try to Believe”
27. “Just Another Day”
28. “Gratitude”
29. “Private Life”
30. “Violent Love”
31. “No Spill Blood”
32. “You Really Got Me”
33. “Little Girls”
34. “Only a Lad”
35. “Goodbye, Goodbye”
This is so sick! I remember they even played that song “Try to Believe” from the movie “Midnight Run.” I think that’s so cool you have all the songs here. How did you manage to record this back in 1990?
Anyways I think this site is awesome!
Would you happen to have any video from Wire, O.M.D., Thomas Dolby, at the Depeche Mode rose bowl concert?
Okay well take care.
P.S. remember when KROQ was cool?
Glad you like the site, and the Boingo concert. But I didn’t film it — just found it on YouTube and posted it here.
And yes, I do remember when KROQ was cool. Been a long time.
I got to see Oingo Boingo once. While in the Navy in VA Beach, VA. Back in 1986 at the Omni, I think the place was called. Fun stuff. Didn’t get much Oingo Boingo growing up in Maine, but once I found them, they were here to stay.
–joe the mason
ps love your site, by the way.
This particular show that OingoBoingoFan uploaded is the Thursday show. I have the Friday show (which is very high quality but not entirely complete) and the Saturday show (complete) videos uploaded on my channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/Despina838?feature=mhum
WOW…MEMORIES! THANX, U JUST MADE MY DAY!
Unfortunately the heroic OingoBoingoFan’s account has been terminated and so all of those great, totally not infringing videos are gone too. If you know how to get in touch with him or where he has uploaded the videos I would really appreciate the info. Here’s an email I created just for this. No spaces and no numbers! n9a9m9e9n9e9w@outlook.com
Anyone know where OingoBoingoFan’s awesome live videos are? Youtube doesn’t have them anymore.