Start Your Halloween Early With Dead Man’s Party at Belly Up

Some tribute bands learn the songs. Dead Man’s Party rebuilt the whole machine, horn section and all. The original Oingo Boingo and Danny Elfman tribute band takes over Belly Up in Solana Beach the night before Halloween, and they have the personnel to do it right.

Eight Players and a Danny Elfman, Jr.

This is an eight-piece, and that number does a lot of work. Lead vocals (the singer gets called “Danny Elfman, Jr.” often enough that it stuck), lead and rhythm guitar, bass, drums, keys, trumpet, and both tenor and baritone sax.

Oingo Boingo was never a guitar band with a few horns bolted on. The horns drove the songs, and Dead Man’s Party staffs them properly, which is why the catalog still snaps live.

Steve Bartek Has Played These Songs Before

Here is the part that separates this from the usual tribute circuit. Steve Bartek on guitar, John “Vatos” Hernandez on drums, and John Avila on bass have all performed with Dead Man’s Party.

Those are original Oingo Boingo members, not soundalikes, and other Boingo players have turned up in the audience at their shows. No guest appearances are announced for this date. The track record is the point.

Elfo-Approved, in Writing

Richard Elfman, who founded the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, went on record with it: “I officially Elfo-approve them.” That is about as close to a family blessing as a tribute band gets.

The group formed in 2001, and its first show on October 26 that year at the House of Blues in Anaheim went over well enough that they have been filling clubs and outdoor stages ever since. Twenty-five years in, they are still the ones we point people toward when Boingo comes up.

See you there!

Halloween weekend starts at Friday night. Wear the costume, stand near the horns, and let Dead Man’s Party do what it has done since 2001.

📆 Friday, October 30, 9 PM | Doors 8:30 PM
📍 143 S. Cedros Ave, Solana Beach
🎟️ Grab your tickets here
ℹ️ Dive into the details here

See you there, San Diego!