Danny Elfman

Over 2 years in the making, Big Mess debuted at Coachella on the Outdoor Stage to thousands of excited fans.

It’s been a privilege to watch a friend, who happens to be a mad genius, perform 40 years of his music live, with a rock band, choir and full orchestra.

Never an artist to let you down, his show was not just a little bit, but all the way, hard core Elfman — as marvelously weird, dark and unexpected as you could want.

Danny has kept his integrity, following his gut, stepping bravely into new territory without trying to double guess what his fans want. And so, trusting his process, you wander into the crush of people before the stage to take in Big Mess, and witness the magic of new creation happening before your eyes. From the Simpsons theme, to early Boingo tunes, to the Batman score, to hard rock from his latest album.

It was a fully immersive show, the visuals and every creative choice combed over by the master. And to add to the spectacle, he ends up shirtless, revealing a muscular rock star body, shrugging off any concept of being in his sixties, and covered in new tattoos, a final twist to the evenings artistic offering.

I’ve been documenting the process back several years now, from the inception of the album to the canceling of Coachella last year, to the final culmination of a one of a kind performance.

I’ll put it this way. You have to see it.

Coachella may be the only place it ever happens. He didn’t create the show for a tour, it’s literally just for two nights out in the desert and it’s gone. A Herculean undertaking. I hope I do it justice, telling the story as a fly on the wall. Part I of the film comes with the Big Mess deluxe box set. Part II and Part III will drop at some point in the future. Thanks again Danny for letting me shadow the process, you continue to be an inspiration. Excited to see the final performance next Saturday.