Corey Feldman: an entirely different dimension of rock and roll weirdness.

Years ago, I watched a full band open for comedian David Cross at ‘Cane’s in Mission Beach. I thought it was the most unusual opening act/headliner combo I had ever witnessed — at least until I was subjected to a full screening of the 1987 film The Lost Boys as the warm-up act for Corey Feldman’s concert at the downtown House of Blues. For those not in the know, Feldman was a 1980s child actor best known for the aforementioned Lost Boys, The Goonies, Stand By Me, and License to Drive. Those in attendance who may have been unaware of or forgotten this were then treated to a not-so-abridged intro video that detailed his entire career. One interesting fun-fact was that, at some point, he had collaborated with Ringo Starr.

If I had stumbled upon this stage randomly at a festival, I would have had no clue as to the type of artist that was about to perform. The crowd was all over the map, with old headbangers, punks, squares, and even a random female in a white fluffy jacket that came equipped with its own working light bulbs. This audience seemed like a true cross-section of the American experience, and what’s more American than witnessing a mixed bag of U.S. citizens launch their cell phones into the air to record a former child star performing his first song of the night? The fact that this song happened to be called “Comeback King” was the cherry on top of the cultural sundae.

The somewhat bombastic song (which featured a guest rapper who I momentarily thought might have been fellow former child star Todd Bridges) was followed by “Arm Me With Love,” a fun little chugging rock song that seemed inspired by The Beatles. Feldman played a harmonica during his vocal breaks, and the crowd seemed to dig it. The funk-guitar infused “Raising the Vibration” was followed by “Something In Your Eyes,” Feldman’s first single, which he performed at the 1989 Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards. Of course, that vintage footage was showcased on the big screen.

So: the first four songs seemed to go pretty well, and the audience was enjoying themselves. But it was at this point that Feldman stepped away from the spotlight and let the other four members of his band take turns on lead vocals. The songs themselves shifted from originals to (not great) covers of songs that had (of course) been featured in Feldman’s 1980s movies. The female keyboardist sang “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” from The Goonies, and the drummer sang “Stand By Me” from the film of the same name. Feldman played drums during “Stand By Me,” and stayed behind the kit to knock out a cover of The Beatles’ “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road,” which he sang as well. He also made sure to alert the audience as to how difficult it was to sing and play drums at the same time.

Seeing as how a sizable chunk of the audience started heading towards the exit during this song, it seemed like a good time to reflect on how incredibly weird this show was. I had seen Devo the previous weekend, a very weird Ohio band that stumbled upon fame in the late ‘70s. But this Corey Feldman show was an entirely different dimension of rock and roll weirdness. The Michael Jackson dance moves, the sparkly jackets and numerous wardrobe changes, actor Jamison Newlander (one of the Frog brothers from The Lost Boys) featured as a guest vocalist, Feldman’s dismay over his guitarist tuning up at one point, and his between-song story about a San Diego “Lost Boys Ball” gig getting cancelled because the venue’s roof caved in. And, above all else, the intense fascination that Feldman seems to have for his days as a child actor. It’s a trait that many of those who showed up likely shared, and one which Ashley, a 38-year-old woman in attendance, summed up for me as people “just wanting to see Corey Feldman in real life.” She added, “I would say this is made for people who watched Lost Boys in, like, elementary and middle school probably.”

As far as musical nostalgia trips go, it was about as out there as you could get — so unique and original in its own strange way that it had a performance art appeal to it. Was Feldman’s over-the-top rockstar persona authentic, or an act? If it was an act, was it the greatest performance of Feldman’s career? Prior to the band hitting the stage, I asked an attendee named Tom what he thought the show would be like. “Probably not good, but it will be fun.” He nailed it.