Elfman at HOB If there is any lingering doubt, let it be cleared up now: Boingo (formerly known as Oingo Boingo) is one of the best live bands to come out of Southern California. If there is any question that leader Danny Elfman has become a sheltered studio rat only engrossed in the movie score and soundtrack work he’s been getting accolades for, let it also be answered now: Elfman and the rest of Boingo put on a masterful show filled with perpetual energy, sweat and dance party craziness that in no way hints of a rusty artist out of touch with his audience.

The sheer brilliance of Boingo is that behind the infectious rhythms and "party band" persona are some pretty twisted and dark messages, filled with torture, despair, horror and madness. Going beyond the surface, Boingo is sort of the musical equivalent of everybody wanting to dance with the class eccentric, even though he keeps talking about loneliness and frustration.

Older Oingo Boingo favorites were trotted out in all their splendor, but Boingo also performed many selections from their current self-titled Giant Records release. There was a punchy rendition of the brooding and wistful "Mary" with its allusions to the original Madonna, religion and penance; the hook-laden radio hit "Hey!" describing an inner conflict of Freudian proportions; and "Pedestrian Wolves," the first-person narration of a boy raised by wolves. It was as if Elfman and company were like pied pipers leading everyone in a tribal jig through the band’s bizzare [sic] and playful jungle. And the songs weren’t your standard "verse-chorus-verse" packaged in a neat, four-minute delivery. Go to a Boingo show and expect extended grooves and jams; in other words, instead of a regular single, you get the dance mix versions. Boingo is part of a rare breed of multi-talented musicians who can pull off a dizzying number of arrangements yet have it all coming out sounding well-rehearsed and extemporaneous at the same time.

At various stages, guitarist/singer Elfman and bassist John Avila easily switched to percussion or keyboards, and during "Insanity," the sold-out crowd was treated to vintage haunting Elfman vocals and those eerie special effects of children’s voices chanting. Guitarists Steve Bartek and Warren Fitzgerald, along with Avila, contributed smooth harmonizing, while drummer Johnny “Vatos” Hernandez pounded out a fierce rhythm that had everyone onstage bobbing in time to the music. Instead of losing steam, the energy level continued to reach a fever pitch, and by the time Boingo launched into a blistering version of "I Am The Walrus," the band had spun themselves into a frenzied, swirling mass of electrifying music.

Loneliness and frustration never sounded so good.