Disco Biscuits Score Beetlejuice Live in Worcester
The band improvised a live soundtrack to the 1988 Tim Burton film during a Halloween screening at The Palladium.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Science Fiction
The Disco Biscuits closed a two-night run at The Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Saturday with an improvised live score to Tim Burton's 1988 film Beetlejuice. The Halloween screening's first set was made up entirely of the improvised score.
Why it matters
The performance adds Beetlejuice to a growing series of films the band has scored live, offering Worcester audiences a themed Halloween event built around a classic science fiction and fantasy film. It also shows how live-scored screenings continue to draw concert-style audiences to film viewings.
The band has previously live-scored nine films, and Beetlejuice joins that list as the tenth, performed over two nights at The Palladium. Attendance figures and any plans for future screenings were not reported.
The players
The Disco Biscuits
A American jam band from Philadelphia known for extended improvisational performances and live electronic music.
The Palladium
A concert venue in Worcester, Massachusetts, that hosts live music and special event screenings.
The details
Bassist Marc Brownstein, keyboardist Aron Magner, guitarist Jon Gutwillig and drummer Marlon Lewis wore black-and-white striped suits for the performance. The improvised score incorporated samples of Danny Elfman's "Beetlejuice (Main Theme)," along with jams on Harry Belafonte's "Day-O" and "Jump In The Line (Shake Senora)."
Timeline
Saturday, October 31, 2026: Halloween screening and live-scored performance at The Palladium in Worcester.
Big Picture
The Beetlejuice performance continues a tradition of live-scored screenings that includes Koyaanisqatsi and Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, both science fiction works often paired with improvised music. Placing it alongside these earlier performances, the band extends a format where musicians rather than a fixed studio score shape how audiences experience a film.
Fans who want to see the band's live-scored work will need to watch for future screenings, as this performance was a limited two-night Halloween run at The Palladium. The stub does not indicate whether additional dates or tickets are planned.
The takeaway
Live-scored screenings let audiences experience familiar films through new musical interpretations, and events like this one show how a single Halloween night can turn a classic movie into a shared concert experience.
Further reading
Explore more science fiction coverage for context on films like this one.
Source note: This article includes information reported by JamBase.
