Oingo Boingo - Farewell (Live from the Universal Amphitheatre) [DVD]

..... but our beloved Boingo's immortal soul is captured lovingly in this, their final and only video concert recording. Along with generous amounts of concert performance, this two-tape set WHICH SHOULD REALLY BE MADE INTO A DVD (hint hint MCA) also includes a bit of Boingo history recap. Some of us in the Los Angeles area were fortunate enough to be witness to Maestro Elfman' s curiously evolving ensemble, which had its genesis as far back as the mid-70s, and it is indeed unfortunate more of those early years were not captured for posterity.Anyway, along with Frank Zappa's "Baby Snakes", I would have to call "Farewell" the ultimate Halloween party video. The music is also available on CD, but the true Boingo enthusiast would not want to miss out on the live experience. Danny Elfman's stage presence was always formidable, sometimes imposing; when you consider this man's overall musical output, in both rock and film soundtracks, and then watch what he does on stage, his consummate brilliance really hits home. The way he utilizes theatrics, exotic dance moves (quasi-Balinese on "I'm So Bad") and good old bad-boy playing (his onstage roughhousing with bassist John Avila on "No One Lives Forever"), elaborate props (the gargantuan skeletons on "Dead Man's Party"), digressive instrumental line ups (accordion and troubador drum on "Helpless"), and yes, even the inevitable light show (on the psychedelic homage "Change") provides a showmanship that crosses genres, rivals anyone in any style of concert performance.The other members of the ensemble deliver as well: trusty sideman and guitarist Steve Bartek is a low-key, confident performer of controlled intensity; the horn section of Dale, Leon and Sluggo are a vital element of the Boingo sound, though not on hand for every number, provide that element flawlessly and with high energy, and even the odd vocal (Sluggo on "Reptiles and Samurai"); drummer Johnny Vatos, whose rhythmic precision seemed almost mechanistic in the early days, offers thunderous fluidity in this outing with his own spark of mischief; and John Avila on bass comes closest to matching Elfman's stage energy, proving himself an indispensable buffer and contributor to the legend that was Boingo.The familiarity and quality of the song selections depends on how closely one has followed the band. I'd say they hit most of the winners here, touched on a few obscurities to the delight of the more hardcore ..... I'd say they could have gotten away with more of the latter: this being their final bow-out, a three tape set would not have been too long. Overall, this collection is a flawless legacy to an American musical treasure, another one of those that will endure and be rediscovered again and again, because REAL music, regardless of genre trappings, is TIMELESS. The fact that this concert was filmed as opposed to merely taped does it proper honor, and the overall production ranks with works like "The Last Waltz" and "Stop Making Sense". "Farewell" is a concert, a documentary, a shared event, a transcendent video treasure.It is so deserving of a digital transfer. I think I can speak for all Boingoites in urging "Farewell"'s release on DVD. The Mystic Knights command it!

Let me start my review by stating that I love Oingo Boingo. I think they are the greatest band ever! I have been a fan since 1978 (the Mystic Knight days) and have seen them at least 60 times live, as a matter of fact I went to all 5 nights of the farewell tour including the Halloween night show, this DVD, look for me in the pit!Review of the DVD, not the content (the content is amazing!):Shame on me to ever say anything bad but this DVD was a big disappointment to me, BECAUSE I own the VHS version, which was released about 3 years ago. It is clear that the only thing Universal did with this release was to take the VHS transfer and put it on a DVD. The picture quality is the same and they released it in 2-Channel Dolby, you read it right, 2-Channel Dolby. Now I'm going to assume that most people that have DVD players have a surround sound system and 9 times out of 10 it's going to be at least a 5.1 channel surround system (2 fronts, 1 center, 2 sides and a sub), and over 3 years have gone by since the VHS release and they can't even remaster the audio to 5.1, shame.The extra features on the DVD our cool, but they are the same exact extras as the VHS release, nothing new. Come on, if they wanted to do something cool for this DVD release they should have put Audio Commentary with the band, how great would have that been and it's not like Danny has done that with other DVD's he scored music too, Edward Scissorhands & Nightmare Before Christmas to name a few.Well, if you don't have the VHS or the DVD version, I'd recommend dropping everything and buying this DVD, but if you have the VHS version, save your money, it's the same thing transferred to a DVD without any improvements. The picture quality and the sound are a tad better just because it's a DVD (Digital vs. Analog), but it not worth the extra money. Maybe they'll come out with a Collector's Version for next Halloween that will have some new features and remaster audio to 5.1, or better yet, come back for another Halloween tour, I can only hope.

I purchased this for a friend for Christmas a few years ago because he loves Oingo Boingo and has always wanted to see their farewell tour. He was very excited to receive it, and since I am also a huge Oingo Boingo fan wanted to watch it with him. Unfortunately that didn't end up happening, and so I can't give an accurate product review besides that it shipped accurately and arrived before Christmas. I can only imagine how amazing the content on the DVD is though. I hope he enjoyed it.

The best live concert ever! If you like Oingo Boingo - or even if you don't know who they are - buy this DVD! It's their farewell performance and it is the best time you'll have watching a concert DVD. Danny Elfman has gone on to be the most successful film composer since John Williams. I promise you'll have a great time - fun to have playing during parties too. I'll bet you can't not get up and dance when they perform Dead Man's Party!

I love Oingo Boingo! Saw that they had this available on Amazon and bought it right away. They say this DVD is rare, other places sell them for a lot more money. Not sure if this is original factory though- questionable because it did not come with any linear notes that you normally get with DVDs and CD's.

If you like Oingo Boingo, and I love them, you NEED this. Absolutely one of the BEST concerts I've seen. I wish I could have been there in person. Sound and film quality is killer. Great list of songs. All there best and more right here. BUY IT!

The order arrived in a timely manner but I was disappointed that the booklet was not included in the cd pack.

If you are a fan of Oingo Boingo then this dvd is for you. Amazing footage shot from their Halloween show on their Farewell tour. Lots of great extras and the sound is amazing. A great addition to anyone's collection.

I have been after this DVD for a while now. However, since i like in the UK it is incredibly hard to come by and it was always far too expensive to buy from here.By a stroke of luck, i managed to purchased it for around £20.I have absolutely no regrets !Ok, the sound could be slightly improved but the energy and atmosphere that can be felt throughout the DVD more than makes up for it. The songs are performed wonderfully and the Special Features are also interesting and amazing.It is also well worth the money paid for it as it runs for around 3 hours.If you are a Boingo fan (Boingoloids FTW !) then i would highly recommend it.

Exciting, energetic and Elfman at his very best; all I can say is wow! The "Oingo Boingo" farewell Halloween concert showcases the band at their absolute best. Clocking in at 2 hours and 45 minutes with one song after another, the show is like a non stop high energy carnival ride. This is a ride you definitely won't want to get off of either. Near the end of the show, Danny Elfman shouts, "This is like one Big Orgasm" and he is absolutely right on the money.Danny Elfman puts so much energy into his performance running and dancing around the stage, I am totally amazed to see him still standing at the end. The picture is clear and the sound while only in 2 channel stereo is clear and crisp. In my opinion the only thing wrong with this DVD is that the sound isn't presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS. The bonus DVD with the special features was fun and I found it interesting to watch.I guess my only other complaint would be the exclusion of "Weird Science" in the song list; no farewell show should be without it. This DVD concert is worthy of ownership for any "Oingo Boingo" fan new or old. Overall I give it 5 stars for the concert performance and extras, but drop it down to 4 stars because of the 2.0 sound. It's also too bad that for fans this is the only authorized Oingo Boingo concert available.DVD Songs Include:1. Intro - Tender Lumplings2. Insanity3. Little Girls4. Cinderella Undercover5. Controller6. Burn Me Up7. Insects8. No One Lives Forever9. Hey!10. Reptiles & Samurai11. Water12. I Am The Walrus13. Nothing To Fear (But Fear Itself)14. Piggies15. We Close Our Eyes16. Mary17. Can't See (Useless)18. Helpless19. I'm So Bad20. Change21. Just Another Day22. Stay23. Who Do You Want To Be24. On The Outside25. Ain't This The Life26. Wild Sex (In The Working Class)27. Dead Man's Party28. Nasty Habits29. Clowns Of Death30. Grey Matter31. No Spilt Blood32. Only A Lad