Amidst the chaos that ensued at the Oct. 29 4th annual Long Beach Zombie Walk, the Dead Man's After-Party featuring Sirena Serpentina's Tribal Fire Belly Dancers and former members of Oingo Boingo, was an outdoor event that went off without a hitch.
Perhaps because the concert venue was at the Long Beach Press Telegram parking lot, giving it some distance from the milieu of flesh-eating zombies that roamed downtown Long Beach's Promenade district. Most likely, it was because Johnny Vatos Boingo Dance Party's talented, well-honed musicians performed effortlessly to a select crowd of about 200 people.
Prior to the Vato's group taking the stage, the talented moves of Sirena Serpentina's Tribal Fire Belly Dancers entertained a raptured audience. Five beautiful women flung flaming batons and swung flaming balls of fire. The show also included the women parading candelabras above their heads, as well as eating fire. In true Halloween form, they lined up side by side, as their costumes spelled out 666. The fast paced well-choreographed troupe ended their show with a provocative dance to the classic "Take it Off" by Dave Rose & his Orchestra.
Johnny Vato's Boingo Dance Party took the stage and Vato started the night out with "Who Do You Want to Be / Eve of Destruction" singing and playing drum simultaneously. Chris Paul Overall took over on vocals for some classic Oingo Boingo tunes "Little Girls," "Just Another Day," "Gratitude," and "Try to Believe," just to name a few. The group even Oingoed up the Kinks' "You Really Got Me." Saxophone player Sam "Sluggo" Phipps sang two songs "Life is Good," and "No One Lives Forever," with impressive form.
Although these two songs appeared to be improvised in parts, they still came out very polished, making it the highlight of the show. Overall took up the lead singing again and continued with a smashing set that included "Whole Day Off" "Private Life" "Violent Love" and "Ain't this the Life." Keyboard players Carl Graves and Doug Legacy took turns as lead singer. Mike the Spike on rhythm guitar and lead guitarist Woody Aplanalp added their vocal talents to the show. That Oingo Boingo sound couldn't be formulated without their great brass section: Brian Schwartz on Trumpet and Wendell Kelly on Trombone.
Because of an early curfew imposed by the city of Long Beach, the band finished out their set with the ever famous and wonderful "Dead Man's Party" "Only a Lad" and "Nasty Habits."
The crowd was relatively small with no chairs and onlookers crowded around the stage while others sat on the ground. A large number of guests were corralled in the Beer Garden. The crowd was appreciative, as they sang along with their favorite tunes and danced a bit. The small crowd was attributed to the high ticket price - $15 in advance and $20 at the door. However, it is more likely because Danny Elfman, the band's former songwriter and vocalist, wasn't going to make a surprise visit. With irreversible hearing loss, it is unlikely Elfman will ever do a live stage performance again.
Fans shouldn't be too disappointed though, because this nine-member band didn't spend much time talking. For them, it's all about the music and Johnny Vato's Boingo Dance Party brought all the Oingo Boingo magic to the stage and delivered with precision and finesse.
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