Danny Elfman Concert

I must say, I have been to many, many concerts in my lifetime. I have seen the great Jimi Hendrix, Queen, Areatha Franklin, Janis Joplin, The Temptations, The Rolling Stones and more. This year alone, we saw Johnny Mathis, John Mayer, Fun!, Tegan and Sara, The Moody Blues, Tony Bennett, John Secada, Phillip Phillps, and Muse (there are probably some I have forgotten to mention). This past week I was so very fortunate to get to spend a night hearing the music of Danny Elfman. It was probably my favorite show all year long and definitely one of my favorites of all time.

The music featured in the concert was featuring Danny Elfman's music from Tim Burton's incredible films and was performed by the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra and The Page LA Choir. Originally it was a one night only performance scheduled for Halloween night and due to the fact that it sold out so quickly they added two more nights.

I attended the show with my daughter, her husband and two of their sweet friends, Jessica and Rob. I must confess, when my daughter asked if I wanted to go, I said yes but didn't really know who Danny Elfman was by name. I knew of his work, of course, and I knew his name but did not put the two together. After the show started I was mesmerized by the incredible sounds of the symphony orchestra and choir as they performed different pieces from Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Big Fish, Planet of the Apes, Frankenweenie, Beetlejuice, Sleepy Hollow, Mars Attacks, Batman & Batman Returns, Dark Shadows, Edward Scissorhands, Alice In Wonderland and, of course, The Nightmare Before Christmas. The music was accompanied by the artwork of Tim Burton, as well as memorable scenes and clips from the different films.

Towards the end of the night, for the showcasing of The Nightmare Before Christmas music, Danny Elfman came out on stage and performed some of the songs from that film. He was the singing voice of Jack (the Pumpkin King) in the movie. Every single person in the audience was mesmerized by his voice, his enthusiasm, his facial expressions, and the fact that it was his first time performing in 18 years. He was so incredible... words can never fully describe how incredible he was!

I can only hope that Danny Elfman enjoyed performing so much that he continues to perform again and again so that I, along with many others, can enjoy seeing him live again.

Should you ever get the chance to see him, please do!