“This is like one huge orgasm!” says singer-frontman Danny Elfman toward the end of Oingo Boingo’s final concert on Halloween night, 1995. That’s an apt comparison, since this two-hour, 45-minute performance plays like an extended climax, with Elfman and his bandmates putting out sufficient energy to light a little city and turn their costumed devotees into a pulsing mass of mutual love. Elfman’s like a supernova onstage, preserving a miraculous pace through 32 songs, any one of which qualifies as definitive Boingo (though we’re partial to “Insanity,” “Dead Man’s Party,” and the Dr. Moreau-inspired “No Spill Blood”). In retrospect it’s clear that Oingo Boingo wanted to cap 17 years of success with their finest concert, and this one arguably meets that goal. Thorough but inconspicuous camera coverage captures the whole show from begin to finish, and the Dolby 2-channel stereo is crisp and clear. Watch it all at once–we guarantee you’ll be euphorically exhausted. –Jeff Shannon
DVD featuresDisc Two in this set includes a playful, sideshow-like history of Oingo Boingo, in addition to backstage featurettes shot before and after the “Farewell” concert that comprises Disc One. Band members, crew members, and fans are given equivalent time to disseminate Boingo cheer, and two vintage Oingo Boingo videos (for “Little Girls” and “Insanity”) are concealed on the disc for tenacious viewers. (Hint: use your DVD remote’s “back” button on the disc’s main menu.) –Jeff Shannon
Farewell Live Universal Amphitheatre Halloween 1995 Image
Farewell Live Universal Amphitheatre Halloween 1995 Picture
Farewell Live Universal Amphitheatre Halloween 1995 Pic
Farewell Live Universal Amphitheatre Halloween 1995 Photo
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14 of 15 humans found the following review helpful.
 No Bands Last Forever …..
By Solo Goodspeed
….. but our beloved Boingo’s immortal soul is captured lovingly in this, their final and only video concert recording. Along with generous amounts of concert performance, this two-tape set WHICH SHOULD REALLY BE MADE INTO A DVD (hint hint MCA) also includes a bit of Boingo history recap. Some of us in the Los Angeles area were fortunate sufficient to be witness to Maestro Elfman’ s curiously evolving ensemble, which had it is genesis as far back as the mid-70s, and it is in truth adverse more of those early years were not captured for posterity.
Anyway, along with Frank Zappa’s “Baby Snakes”, I would have to call “Farewell” the uttermost Halloween party video. The music is also available on CD, but the unfeigned Boingo ardent would not want to miss out on the live experience. Danny Elfman’s stage presence was always formidable, from time to time imposing; when you consider this man’s overall musical output, in both rock and film soundtracks, and then watch what he does on stage, his consummate splendor in truth hits home. The way he utilizes theatrics, exotic dance moves (quasi-Balinese on “I’m So Bad”) and good old bad-boy playing (his onstage roughhousing with bassist John Avila on “No One Lives Forever”), elaborated props (the gargantuan skeletons on “Dead Man’s Party”), digressive instrumental line ups (accordion and troubador drum on “Helpless”), and yes, even the inevitable light show (on the psychedelic homage “Change”) provides a showmanship that crosses genres, rivals any individual in any style of concert performance.
The other members of the ensemble deliver as well: trustable sideman and guitarist Steve Bartek is a low-key, convinced performer of controlled intensity; the horn division of Dale, Leon and Sluggo are a critical factor of the Boingo sound, though not on hand for each number, provide that factor flawlessly and with high energy, and even the odd vocal (Sluggo on “Reptiles and Samurai”); drummer Johnny Vatos, whose rhythmic precision seemed almost mechanistic in the early days, offers thunderous fluidity in this outing with his own spark of mischief; and John Avila on bass comes nearest to sameness Elfman’s stage energy, proving himself an important buffer and contributor to the legend that was Boingo.
The familiarity and quality of the song selections depends on how almost one has followed the band. I’d say they hit most of the winners here, touched on a few obscurities to the delight of the more hardcore ….. I’d say they could have gotten away with more of the latter: this being their final bow-out, a three tape set would not have been too long. Overall, this collection is a flawless bequest to an American musical treasure, another one of those that will endure and be rediscovered again and again, because REAL music, irrespective of genre trappings, is TIMELESS. The fact that this concert was filmed as opposed to merely taped does it proper honor, and the overall production ranks with works like “The Last Waltz” and “Stop Making Sense”. “Farewell” is a concert, a documentary, a shared event, a transcendent video treasure.
It is so deserving of a digital transfer. I think I may speak for all Boingoites in urging “Farewell”‘s release on DVD. The Mystic Knights command it!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
 Great Concert, but if you have the VHS, don’t bother
By Christopher Zephro
Let me begin my review by stating that I love Oingo Boingo. I think they are the biggest band ever! I have been a fan since 1978 (the Mystic Knight days) and have seen them at least 60 times live, as a matter of fact I went to all 5 nights of the farewell tour including the Halloween night show, this DVD, look for me in the pit!
Review of the DVD, not the content (the content is amazing!):
Shame on me to ever say anything bad but this DVD was a huge disappointment to me, BECAUSE I own the VHS version, which was freed in regards to 3 years ago. It is clear that the only thing Universal did with this release was to take the VHS transfer and put it on a DVD. The picture quality is the same and they freed it in 2-Channel Dolby, you read it right, 2-Channel Dolby. Now I’m going to assume that most persons that have DVD players have a surround sound scheme and 9 times out of 10 it’s going to be at least a 5.1 channel surround system (2 fronts, 1 center, 2 sides and a sub), and over 3 years have gone by since the VHS release and they can’t even remaster the audio to 5.1, shame.
The extra features on the DVD our cool, but they are the same precise extras as the VHS release, not one thing new. Come on, if they wanted to do something cool for this DVD release they will have to have put Audio Commentary with the band, how outstanding would have that been and it’s not like Danny has done that with other DVD’s he scored music too, Edward Scissorhands & Nightmare Before Christmas to name a few.
Well, if you don’t have the VHS or the DVD version, I’d commend dropping everything and buying this DVD, but if you have the VHS version, save your money, it’s the same thing transposed to a DVD without any improvements. The picture quality and the sound are a tad better just because it’s a DVD (Digital vs. Analog), but it not worth the extra money. Maybe they’ll come out with a Collector’s Version for next Halloween that will have a great deal of new features and remaster audio to 5.1, or better yet, come back for another Halloween tour, I may only hope.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
A+ for the band, D for the sound engineer/A&M
By Diva Mom
When I purchased this DVD, I was excessively affected emotionally to recapture the adrenaline rush that always came with Oingo Boingo’s live performances. In looking at it, however, I was terribly disappointed that the DVD didn’t do the band’s fantastic performace the justice it deserved. If you are going to go to the disturb of freeing a concert film, the sound will have to be superior to this. The lack of surround sound is baffling. And whoever mixed the sound did a poor job. Danny’s voice, the horn section, and even Vato’s drums are drowned out by the rhythm guitar on some songs. It actually detracted from my enjoyment of what was other than as supposed or expected an particular concert. The band’s energy was infectious, and I found myself dancing in my living room irrespective of the poor sound quality. If you are a fan, you will still love it. Seeing “Grey Matter” live again is worth the $$ all by itself! Let’s hope A&M reissues this DVD with the same sound quality as the Farewell CD, and adds a great deal of more documentary/historical footage as well.
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