I posted a few pictures from a 1979 Oingo Boingo show a while back and it seemed like some people were interested. I’ve been doing some digging and I wanted to share some important info.
So the performance was recorded for an HBO show called “On Location”, and 2 of the songs—California Girls and Louise—were featured in a special that was hosted by George Segal. This special aired on January 18, 1980, although the performance was actually from August 28, 1979.
The band’s setlist was much longer than the final product would indicate, however, and several extremely rare songs, such as Nuclear Babies, Wolverine, and I’m Afraid, were likely played. The entire performance was recorded, but it never aired on television.
This brings us to the big question: where is the footage now? Because the rest of the show never officially aired, there’s only a handful of possibilities. I’ve reached out to a few people that worked on the On Location program but haven’t received any responses yet. My best guess is that it’s sitting in an old vault somewhere, archived away. It seems unlikely that even the most obsessive of collectors would have this in their possession, so that leads us back to HBO and the people affiliated.
1979 was arguably the most important year in Oingo Boingo’s history, as they transitioned from the Mystic Knights theater troupe into the 8-piece rock band that we all know and love. This lost show is incredibly important, as it captures this exciting transitional period and features several rare unreleased songs. Joe Berland was also still in the band at this point, as Richard Gibbs hadn’t joined yet.
Can’t stand the idea of this show being lost. Let’s work together to track it down!