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Coachella 2022: Danny Elfman Plays Songs from The Simpsons, Edward Scissorhands, and More

The legendary composer also performed material from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman, and Oingo Boingo

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Danny Elfman at Coachella
Danny Elfman, photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella

    Danny Elfman took the stage at Coachella on Saturday for a festival set unlike any other.

    The rare appearance by the legendary composer — which he introduced as a “strange little show” for the crowd — included a plethora of songs from films he’s scored, as he led a full orchestra through highlights from Edward Scissorhands (“Ice Dance/The Grand Finale”) and 1989’s Batman to a medley from The Nightmare Before Christmas (“Jack’s Lament/This is Halloween/What’s This?”) and a rocking version of The Simpsons theme song — by which point he was shirtless.

    Elfman also dusted off a number of Oingo Boingo tracks, including “Insects,” “Nothing to Fear (But Fear Itself),” “Only a Lad,” “Dead Man’s Party,” and closer “Who Do You Want to Be.”

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    Joining on stage was an impressive backing band that included Josh Freese on drums, Stu Brooks on bass, Nili Brosh and Wes Borland (of Limp Bizkit) on guitars, as well a a full orchestra and choir conducted by Oingo Boingo’s Steve Bartek.

    The ambitious and inventive set came six months after the four-time Academy Award nominee put on a live-to-film concert version of The Nightmare Before Christmas at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, which coincidentally starred Saturday headliner Billie Eilish as Sally.

    Next, Elfman will re-team with longtime collaborator Tim Burton to compose the music for the latter’s upcoming Wednesday Addams-centric Netflix series, Wednesday.

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    Watch footage of Elfman’s performance and see the full setlist below.

    Ed. Note: Head here to find our complete coverage of Coachella 2022. 

    Setlist:
    Sorry
    Insects
    Spider-Man Main Title
    Nothing to Fear (But Fear Itself)
    Just Another Day
    Jack’s Lament/This is Halloween/What’s This? (From The Nightmare Before Christmas)
    Breakfast Machine (From Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure)
    Kick Me
    Insanity
    The Batman Theme
    True
    The Simpsons Main Title Theme
    Only a Lad
    Love in the Time of COVID
    Ice Dance/The Grand Finale (From Edward Scissorhands)
    Dead Man’s Party
    Alice’s Theme (From Alice in Wonderland)
    Happy
    Who Do You Want to Be

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