(MATTRO'S CONCERT MEMORIES)

I have seen Boingo live only three times. After becoming aware of the band in 1982, my memory says they only visited Seattle (where I'm from) five times.

The Wave Spectacular
In December of 1982, Pat O'Day and Michael Sherman put on a four day musical event in downtown Seattle called 'The Wave Spectacular.' The title was, of course, referring to new wave music, the hot new trend of the time. Each night had a big name headliner and several smaller bands opening, including local Seattle bands that have since fallen off the face of the earth (this was pre-grunge by about four years). Overall, the Wave Spectacular was an overblown and silly attempt to make new wave even more commercial than it already was. But there were some great bands headlining each of the five nights: Missing Persons, Wall of Voodoo, Romeo Void. Oingo Boingo was the headliner the second night. Unfortunately I could only afford to attend one of the four nights and I chose to see the Missing Persons. At the time I was a budding adolescent, and it seemed more important for me to see Dale Bozzio's plexi-glass covered breasts than it did for me to see Oingo Boingo, whose name I had only just learned a week or so prior to the festival.

One of the features at this big, overblown 'festival' was the wide screen TV room. The room was set up like a small movie theater and the TV screen showed non-stop music videos... which at the time was a relatively novel idea for most people there had neither cable TV (ie: no Mtv) nor did they have such huge TVs. It was in this room where I first experienced Boingo in any real sense. The video for 'Private Life' came on. I wasn't terribly impressed with the visual effects in the video, but I remember liking the song itself a lot and finding the lead singer to be strange and amusing. I think later that week I read a favorable review of the Boingo show and/or album 'Nothing to Fear' and was further intrigued. I bought the album shortly thereafter.

The Missing Persons show was ok, but (of course) in retrospect, I wish I had gone to the Boingo show instead. Boingo went on to become one of my all time favorite bands. I've been kicking myself ever since missing that early show. Outside of 1983-84, I don't recall Missing Persons doing anything memorable.

Other Boingo Stops in Seattle
To the best of my recollection, Boingo didn't play Seattle in support of Good For Your Soul or Danny Elfman So-Lo, but I could be mistaken. By the time GFYS came out, I was hooked on the band. Had they played in Seattle, I'm certain I would have gone to see them.

I finally was able to see Boingo live in Seattle during their 'Dead Man's Tour' in 1985. They played at the Paramount and a band called the Kinetics opened for them. What an incredible show. They opened their auditory assault with a smoke filled stage and the song 'Dead or Alive'. Dead Man's Party hadn't been released yet, so when they played that song and 'No One Lives Forever' I was hearing them for the very first time. Instantly those two tunes were among my favorites even though it would be weeks before the album came out and I would hear them again. All together Boingo played about 25 songs.

About a year later, the band toured in support of BOI-NGO. Again, they were in the Paramount but this time without an opening act. They played for over three hours and did at least two encores that I can remember.

After the show, my friend Jeff and I waited out back to talk to Boingo band members. I was able to talk to Steve Bartek. I remember asking him if Danny really writes all the music (a notion that I found amazing). He looked at me as if I was stupid and said, "yes, of course".

After a bit more waiting, a sweat-shirt hooded figure emerged from the rear exit of the Paramount. My friend and I probably wouldn't have given this person a second glance were it not for the body guards suddenly pushing us out of the way (they didn't do this when Bartek or Dale Turner emerged). We knew this was Danny Elfman.

The guards (actually just burly stage hands) didn't let anyone follow Danny, so my friend and I took off in a different direction, cutting through a parking lot and around the opposite side of the building Danny was walking toward. We waited on the sidewalk there until Danny (still hooded) and two other people came around the corner. We approached them when they were about 20 feet away.

I wanted him to sign a Boingo poster I picked up, but one of the people with Danny stepped between us and him and said "No autographs. Danny's tired."

Jeff walked a couple steps past the bouncer type guy and asked Danny if he'd "shake the hand of a fellow red head." Danny said "Sure" and seemed to happily shake Jeff's hand.

In 1988, I moved from Seattle to Boulder, CO. Two days after I moved, Boingo played in Seattle so, obviously, I missed them. Moving cost me so much money that by the time the band made it to Denver, a week after I arrived, I could not afford the ticket cost to attend the show, nor transportation costs to get there.

The third and last time I saw Boingo live was 1994. They played a benefit at the Seattle Center Arena and 311 opened for them. The venue was only about half filled. I'm sure the place would've been packed had the show been billed as 'Boingo's Last Show in Seattle... Ever' which it ended up being.

It was good to see the band again, however I was disappointed by the elimination of the live horn section. The horn sounds heard were programmed and Boingo had suddenly become a five piece act with a vocalist.

Around the fifth or sixth song it became evident that Danny was visibly exhausted. The dancing, prancing and singing were obviously tuckering him out. It was a shame because Danny usually channels so much energy to the crowd and it just wasn't happening this time and the audience wasn't very into the show. I never heard if we was 'recovering from a flu' or anything like that. The band played mostly new material from the Boingo album plus numerous unreleased tunes (Piggies, Clowns of Death, etc.), this may've contributed to the crowd's lack of interest but, in the crowd's defense, everyone DID perk up during the renditions of classic Boingo songs from the '80s.

Boingo didn't schedule Seattle on their brief 'Farewell Tour' in 1995. I was all set to hop a plane to San Francisco to see them there, but that show ended up being canceled. By the time I inquired into them, all of the Southern California shows had already sold out.