weird al tour 2022 review

Review: Why a 'Weird Al' Concert Without Any Parodies Is the Most 'Weird Al' Concert of All

Iconic parodist Yankovic makes nerd dreams come true with a night of lesser-known fan favorites at Orlando's Dr. Phillips Center

"Weird Al" Yankovic is back on the road with The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour , a revival of the 2018 leg that famously featured nearly no parodies at all, despite the fact that song spoofs are what earned "The Weird One" his name and 12 million record sales.

The irony of the tour's title is that Yankovic is notoriously one of the nicest guys showbiz has ever seen. If there's one thing you can hold against a man known for wearing Hawaiian shirts, sharing profits with other artists when he doesn't have to, and singing a hit song called "White & Nerdy," well, it's probably not vanity .

The last time I reviewed one his concerts , he was singing with a symphony in Melbourne, Florida. (The last few years have found Yankovic trying all kinds of new things on the road and behind the scenes, including next month's biopic with Daniel Radcliffe of all people in the lead role. And in my interview with him , he said he's even thinking about Broadway.)

I wrote then that fans talk about "Weird Al" concerts the way people talk about support groups or social clubs. After all, he spent some forty years mainstreaming nerdiness in a way that felt validating, welcoming, and incisive to anyone who ever felt a little less than "normal." I was one of the millions who found in his music a safe space that doubled as a sand box for having fun with language, culture, and comedy. And his latest stuff is as sharp and successful as ever. (His most recent album notched a #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 .)

So whatever his tour title may be, we know that for Yankovic, self-indulgence is really self-deprecation, and if anything, it's an opportunity for him to give the hardcore fans the show they could only dare dream of: a night full of the original comedy compositions and genre pastiches that have comprised roughly half the tracks on each of his blockbuster albums despite never fully getting their due in mainstream media or on MTV. Al warns his audience early on what they're in for: a night of "deeply unpopular songs" - a promise that was already made abundantly clear in all the advertising but nevertheless earned ecstatic cheers from the sold-out crowd at Dr. Phillips Center. Like me, many of the patrons probably know Al's deep cuts as well as any of the big hits - or maybe they've heard all the buzz from his other tour stops, where the setlists frequently differ but always to audience acclaim. Some are surely casual fans okay with the unfamiliar, or maybe they just didn't do their homework and must now steel themselves against the knowledge that tonight will not be the night that they hear "Like a Surgeon" live in concert at long last.

But here's why that works, no matter your level of familiarity with "Weird Al": this is a concert, yes, but it's also a comedy show. And just like you don't know a stand-up comic's material before heading into the local laugh factory, you don't need to have heard a single one of these songs to get a big kick out of them in concert.

That's especially true thanks to the show's absolutely A-plus sound mixing and speaker system, at least at Dr. Phillips Center. Al's lyrics were as cleanly perceptible as any I have ever heard at a performance of any kind, which seems extra important for a show where lyrics are not only focal but also admittedly lesser-known.

Wherever Al found his sound engineer, let's hope he tells others in the industry about it. That goes for the lighting designer too. While Al's parody-oriented concerts are famously elaborate - each song is essentially a music video brought to life - fans might reasonably expect the Ill-Advised Vanity Tour to be more of a sitting-still-on-a-stool affair. Actually, it is, but the lighting and fog design are so entrancing - and Al's stage presence so intimate and connecting - that each performance becomes an experience all its own, even without a costume or a video package in sight.

And as for the stool sitting of it all, that format lends a new feature to the "Weird Al" concertgoing experience: VH-1 Storytellers -style introductions to various songs. While some of the introductions are less facetious than others, each lends fascinating or comically delightful context to the song at hand, like when he linked fan favorite "One More Minute" to a real-life breakup, or when he tricked us into thinking we were about to hear the debut of a new song from his upcoming movie only to play the cinema-themed (and seasonably Halloweeny) Nature Trail to Hell instead, much to the crowd's audible delight.

Other highlights for the Orlando audience included a lounge version of "Dare to Be Stupid," 2003's human condition-commiserating "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?," Bad Hair Day 's sadistic holiday classic "The Night Santa Went Crazy," skeptical ska jam "Your Horoscope for Today," and not one but two nods to Walt Disney World: a brief cover of The Haunted Mansion's "Grim Grinning Ghosts" and the Jungle Cruise-inspired "Skipper Dan" (featuring an appropriately Magic Kingdom-ish calliope effect).

To top it all off, Yankovic made his uber-long "Albuquerque" even longer when he added lyrics and then decided to start the song over again nearly two-thirds of the way through just for the heck of it. This tour is ridiculously self-indulgent, after all. And yet I was eating it up.

When it came time for every concert's obligatory clap-for-encore ritual, Al decided to stay on stage and nonchalantly check his texts until he "happened to notice" people were demanding more - a brilliant little bit of commentary all its own. And then he graciously treated everyone to what they thought they wouldn't get tonight: a mashup of his hit parodies - albeit rearranged in transformative style.

An evening with Alfred Yankovic on stage is always a blend of concert, comedy, and community. The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour feels like an opportunity to give back - letting Al show us everything else he can do (covering The Rolling Stones, for instance) while indulging our own inner geeks at the same time. When you think about it, being into something super specific and relatively unpopular is really what nerdom is all about, which makes a parody-free "Weird Al" show surprisingly the "Weird Al"-iest show of all.

• Lame Claim to Fame
• Close But No Cigar
• Dare to Be Stupid
• One More Minute
• Dog Eat Dog
• Velvet Elvis
• Why Does This Always Happen to Me?
• Your Horoscope for Today
• Nature Trail to Hell
• The Night Santa Went Crazy
• Midnight Star
• Skipper Dan
• Buy Me a Condo
• Good Old Days
• Albuquerque
• ENCORE: It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)
• ENCORE: Amish Paradise / Smells Like Nirvana / White & Nerdy / Word Crimes / Yoda / Yoda Chant

Note: The show opened with a half-hour stand-up set by the thoughtfully funny, delightfully punny Emo Phillips, followed by a roughly twenty-minute intermission. Yankovic's set then played without further intermission. Tickets for additional "Weird Al" tour stops can be found at the artist's official website . Tickets for additional Dr. Phillips Center programming can be found at the venue's box office online .

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‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Announces 133-Date ‘Ill-Advised Vanity Tour’ For 2022

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

“Weird Al” Yankovic is returning to the road next year for an encore run of his Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour  that he’s calling The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour. It will once against focus on his lesser-known album tracks and skip over nearly all of his famous parody songs.

It kicks off April 23rd, 2022 and wraps up October 29th with Yankovic’s first-ever show at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Along the way, he’s playing an incredible 133 shows.

“I’ve loved doing every single incarnation of my live show, but honestly the Vanity tour is the most fun I’ve ever had on stage,” Yankovic said in a statement, “so I’ve been dying to get back out there and torture everybody with it once again!”

The first incarnation of the Vanity tour took place in 2018. Unlike every Yankovic tour of the past, it was staged without costume changes, video screens, or famous parody songs like “Fat,” “Eat It,” and “Smells Like Nirvana” with the exception of a short medley at the end of the night and a grand finale of “Yoda.”

Instead, he played fan favorites like “Nature Trail to Hell,” “Jackson Park Express,” “Dog Seat Dog,” You Don’t Love Me Anymore,” and “Albuquerque.” Every night featured a different cover song in the encore like “Cinnamon Girl,” “Blister in the Sun,” “Fire and Rain,” and “Girl U Want.”

In 2017, Yankovic told Rolling Stone that he got the idea near the end of one of his regular concert tours. “I think I was in the middle of putting on my ‘Fat’ suit for the thousandth time and getting ready to go back onstage,” he said. “I was thinking, ‘Gosh, next time I go on tour I don’t know if I want to be doing this. I think I need to take a break from all the theatrics. Wouldn’t it be nice to just do a really scaled down, low-key, casual show for the hardcore fans and just go out and be musicians?'”

Just like in 2017, comedian Emo Phillips will serve as an opening act on the tour. “He’s one of my oldest friends, and I also happen to think he’s one of the funniest guys in the world,” Yankovic told Rolling Stone in 2017. “I know that my fans love Emo from his appearance in UHF and also because he’s Emo. He’s an icon.”

Head over to WeirdAl.com for the complete list of dates. Tickets go on sale Friday December 10th.

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Weird Al Yankovic Announces Gigantic 133-Date 2022 U.S. Tour

Weird Al Yankovic has just announced a gigantic 133-date U.S. tour that’ll keep the parody master on the road from April to October 2022.

“I’ve loved doing every single incarnation of my live show, but honestly the 'Vanity' tour is the most fun I’ve ever had on stage,” Yankovic says, “so I’ve been dying to get back out there and torture everybody with it once again!”

Weird Al’s tour with opening comedian Emo Philips will begin in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. on April 26 and visit a massive chunk of the United States before finishing up at Weird Al’s first-ever show at New York City’s iconic Carnegie Hall.

Tickets for the full tour go on sale Dec. 10 at 10AM local time. Click here to grab your tickets and see the full list of dates below.

Weird Al Yankovic 2022 North American Tour

APR. 26 - POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. @ BARDAVON OPERA HOUSE APR. 27 - ALBANY, N.Y. @ THE EGG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS - KITTY CARLISLE HART THEATRE APR. 29 - NEW BEDFORD, Mass. @ ZEITERION PERFORMING ARTS CENTER APR. 30 - ORONO, Maine @ COLLINS CENTER FOR THE ARTS MAY 1 - HAMPTON BEACH, N.H. @ HAMPTON BEACH CASINO BALLROOM MAY 3 - PORTLAND, Maine @ MERRILL AUDITORIUM MAY 4 - NEW LONDON, Ct. @ GARDE ARTS CENTER MAY 6 - MEDFORD, Mass @ CHEVALIER THEATRE MAY 7 - MEDFORD, Mass. @ CHEVALIER THEATRE MAY 8 - BURLINGTON, Vt. @ THE FLYNN MAY 10 - RIDGEFIELD, Ct. @ THE RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE MAY 11 - ROCHESTER, N.Y. @ KODAK CENTER MAY 14 - WILKES-BARRE, Pa. @ THE F.M. KIRBY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS MAY 15 - ERIE, Pa. @ WARNER THEATRE MAY 17 - CANTON, Ohio @ CANTON PALACE THEATRE MAY 18 - SAGINAW, Mich. @ THE TEMPLE THEATRE MAY 20 - DETROIT, Mich. @ FISHER THEATRE MAY 21 - NASHVILLE, Ind. @ BROWN COUNTY MUSIC CENTER MAY 22 - SPRINGFIELD, Ill. @ SANGAMON AUDITORIUM MAY 24 - MILWAUKEE, Wis. @ MARCUS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER MAY 25 - EVANSVILLE, Ind. @ VICTORY THEATRE MAY 27 - PELHAM, Tenn. @ THE CAVERNS MAY 28 - PELHAM, Tenn. @ THE CAVERNS MAY 29 - NASHVILLE, Tenn. @ RYMAN AUDITORIUM MAY 31 - LITTLE ROCK, Ark. @ ROBINSON PERFORMANCE HALL JUNE 1 - TULSA, Okla. @ TULSA THEATER JUNE 3 - DENVER, Colo. @ ELLIE CAULKINS OPERA HOUSE JUNE 4 - DENVER, Colo. @ ELLIE CAULKINS OPERA HOUSE JUNE 5 - SALT LAKE CITY, Utah @ CAPITOL THEATRE JUNE 6 - BOISE, Idaho @ MORRISON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS JUNE 8 - LAS VEGAS, Nev. @ THE VENETIAN THEATRE JUNE 10 - LAS VEGAS, Nev. @ THE VENETIAN THEATRE JUNE 11 - LAS VEGAS, Nev. @ THE VENETIAN THEATRE JUNE 12 - RENO, Nev. @ SILVER LEGACY RESORT & CASINO - RENO BALLROOM JUNE 15 - SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. @ GOLDEN GATE THEATRE JUNE 16 - SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. @ GOLDEN GATE THEATRE JUNE 17 - LOS ANGELES, Calif. @ TO BE ANNOUNCED JUNE 18 - LOS ANGELES, Calif. @ TO BE ANNOUNCED JUNE 20 - SANTA BARBARA, Calif. @ GRANADA THEATRE JUNE 21 - BAKERSFIELD, Calif. @ FOX THEATRE JUNE 24 - SPOKANE, Wash. @ MARTIN WOLDSON THEATER AT THE FOX JUNE 25 - BEND, Ore. @ HAYDEN HOMES AMPHITHEATER JUNE 26 - PORTLAND, Ore. @ ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL JUNE 28 - SEATTLE, Wash. @ MOORE THEATRE JUNE 29 - SEATTLE, Wash. @ MOORE THEATRE JUNE 30 - EUGENE, Ore. @ HULT CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS - SILVA CONCERT HALL JULY 2 - VANCOUVER, British Columbia @ THE CENTRE JULY 4 - EDMONTON, Alberta @- WINSPEAR CENTRE JULY 5 - CALGARY, Alberta @ JACK SINGER CONCERT HALL JULY 6 - CALGARY, Alberta @ JACK SINGER CONCERT HALL JULY 8 - REGINA, Alberta @ CONEXUS ARTS CENTRE JULY 9 - SASKATOON, Saskatchewan @ TCU PLACE JULY 10 - WINNIPEG, Manitoba @ BURTON CUMMINGS THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS JULY 11 - DULUTH, Minn. @ SYMPHONY HALL JULY 14 - MADISON, Wis. @ OVERTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS - OVERTURE HALL JULY 15 - CHICAGO, Ill. @ SYMPHONY CENTER - ORCHESTRA HALL JULY 16 - CHICAGO, Ill. @ SYMPHONY CENTER - ORCHESTRA HALL JULY 19 - CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa @ PARAMOUNT THEATRE JULY 20 - COLUMBIA, Mo. @ MISSOURI THEATRE JULY 22 - LINCOLN, Neb. @ LIED CENTER JULY 23 - MANKATO, Minn. @ MAYO CLINIC HEALTH SYSTEM EVENT CENTER JULY 24 - MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. @ STATE THEATRE JULY 26 - ELKHART, Ind. @ THE LERNER THEATRE JULY 29 - LEWISTON, N.Y. @ ARTPARK MAINSTAGE THEATER JULY 30 - OTTAWA, Ontario @ NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE - SOUTHAM HALL AUG. 1 - TORONTO, Ontario @ DANFORTH MUSIC HALL AUG. 2 - TORONTO, Ontario @ DANFORTH MUSIC HALL AUG. 3 - WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. @ COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER - MARTIN THEATRE AUG. 5 - NORTHAMPTON, Mass. @ CALVIN THEATRE AUG. 6 - LANCASTER, Pa. @ AMERICAN MUSIC THEATRE AUG. 7 - LANCASTER, Pa. @ AMERICAN MUSIC THEATRE AUG. 9 - NEWPORT NEWS, Va. @ FERGUSON CENTER FOR THE ARTS AUG. 10 - RICHMOND, Va. @ DOMINION ENERGY CENTER - CARPENTER THEATRE AUG. 12 - WILMINGTON, N.C. @ WILSON CENTER AUG. 13 - CHARLOTTE, N.C. @ BLUMENTHAL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER - BELK AUG. 14 - CHARLESTON, S.C. @ CHARLESTON GAILLARD CENTER AUG. 17 - KNOXVILLE, Tenn. @ TENNESSEE THEATRE AUG. 18 - GREENVILLE, S.C. @ PEACE CENTER AUG. 19 - HUNTSVILLE, Ala. @ VON BRAUN CENTER - MARK C. SMITH CONCERT HALL AUG. 20 - BIRMINGHAM, Ala. @ ALABAMA THEATRE AUG. 22 - ASHLAND, Ky. @  PARAMOUNT ARTS CENTER AUG. 23 - DAYTON, Ohio @ BENJAMIN & MARIAN SCHUSTER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER AUG. 25 - GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. @ GLC LIVE AT 20 MONROE AUG. 26 - BENTON HARBOR, Mich. @ THE MENDEL CENTER AT LAKE MICHIGAN COLLEGE AUG. 28 - CHESTERFIELD, Mo. @ CHESTERFIELD AMPHITHEATER AUG. 30 - SPRINGFIELD, Mo. @ GILLIOZ THEATRE AUG. 31 - TOPEKA, Kan. @ TOPEKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER SEPT. 1 - WICHITA, Kan. @ THE COTILLION SEPT. 2 - KANSAS CITY, Mo. @ KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS SEPT. 4 - MIDWEST CITY, Okla. @ HUDIBURG CHEVROLET CENTER AT ROSE STATE COLLEGE SEPT. 6 - COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. @ PIKES PEAK CENTER SEPT. 7 - GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. @ AVALON THEATRE SEPT. 9 - GREELEY, Colo. @ UNION COLONY CIVIC CENTER SEPT. 10 - SANTA FE, N.M. @ THE SANTA FE OPERA - THE CROSBY THEATRE SEPT. 11 - CHANDLER, Ariz. @ CHANDLER CENTER FOR THE ARTS SEPT. 13 - RIVERSIDE, Calif. @ FOX PERFORMING ARTS CENTER SEPT. 15 - PASO ROBLES, Calif. @ VINA ROBLES AMPHITHEATRE SEPT. 16 - TEMECULA, Calif. @ PECHANGA THEATER SEPT. 18 - THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. @ BANK OF AMERICA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER SEPT. 21 - SARATOGA, Calif. @ THE MOUNTAIN WINERY SEPT. 24 - DAVIS, Calif. @ ROBERT & MARGRIT MONDAVI CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS SEPT. 25 - SAN DIEGO, Calif. @ BALBOA THEATRE SEPT. 26 - SAN DIEGO, Calif. @  BALBOA THEATRE SEPT. 27 - TUCSON, Ariz. @ FOX TUCSON THEATRE SEPT. 29 - LUBBOCK, Texas @ HELEN DEVITT JONES THEATER SEPT. 30 - DALLAS, Texas @ MAJESTIC THEATRE OCT. 1 - HOUSTON, Texas @ CULLEN PERFORMANCE HALL OCT. 2 - AUSTIN, Texas @ AUSTIN CITY LIMITS LIVE AT THE MOODY THEATER OCT. 4 - SAN ANTONIO, Texas @ MAJESTIC THEATRE OCT. 6 - MEMPHIS, Tenn. @ GRACELAND SOUNDSTAGE OCT. 7 - SHREVEPORT, La. @ THE STRAND THEATRE OCT. 8 - LAFAYETTE, La. @ HEYMANN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER OCT. 9 - PENSACOLA, Fla. @ SAENGER THEATRE OCT. 11 - MELBOURNE, Fla. @ KING CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS OCT. 12 - FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. @ PARKER PLAYHOUSE OCT. 13 - FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. @ PARKER PLAYHOUSE OCT. 15 - CLEARWATER, Fla. @ RUTH ECKERD HALL OCT. 16 - ORLANDO, Fla. @ DR. PHILLIPS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS - WALT DISNEY THEATRE OCT. 17 - ORANGE PARK, Fla. @ THRASHER-HORNE CENTER OCT. 19 - WASHINGTON, D.C. @ THE KENNEDY CENTER - CONCERT HALL OCT. 21 - ATLANTA, Ga. @ SYMPHONY HALL OCT. 22 - ATLANTA, Ga. @ SYMPHONY HALL OCT. 23 - RALEIGH, N.C. @ DUKE ENERGY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS OCT. 25 - ROANOKE, Va. @ BERGLUND PERFORMING ARTS CENTER OCT. 26 - PITTSBURGH, Va. @ CARNEGIE MUSIC HALL - ROSE AND GILT THEATRE OCT. 28 - PHILADELPHIA, Pa. @ KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS OCT. 29 - NEW YORK, N.Y. @ CARNEGIE HALL - STERN AUDITORIUM

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Original News, Features & Opinion

‘Weird Al’ vanity tour a smash

Focuses on his own music, puts parodies on hold, by steve metsch.

About two-thirds of the way through his longest song, “Weird Al” Yankovic stopped the music and said he forgot where he was.

He decided, much to the amusement of the faithful gathered in Uihlein Hall in Milwaukee’s Marcus Center on May 24, to re-start the song.

So, Yankovic and his longtime bandmates did just that, playing “Albuquerque” from the beginning as the crowd roared with laughter. A few minutes later he said he suddenly remembered where they had left off they finished. Yes, he still hates sauerkraut.

The band needed about 20 minutes to finish a song that clocks in at 11:23 on his 1999 album “Running With Scissors.” En route, he rattled off about 40 types of doughnuts, from blueberry to gooseberry to Hale Berry to Chuck Berry.

The casual fan may wonder why. Not the fans of “Weird Al.”

They reveled in the weirdness that was at a high level during one of the 133 concerts on “The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour.”

It’s an encore of his 2018 “vanity tour.” Each featured songs written by Yankovic and not the parodies of hit songs he has recorded the past 40-some years. There were no outrageous costumes or videos, unlike his 2016 stop in Aurora.

Yankovic, 62, was in fine voice and good spirits, which is something when you think a week earlier he had tested positive for COVID-19.

As luck would have it, guitarist Jim West now has COVID-19, but he played from backstage, and spoke with Yankovic a few times during the show.

It somehow worked, his being backstage, perhaps because the band is so tight after being together so long.

The band played just under two hours and stayed true to the script until the encore. More on that later.

After opening with the instrumental “Fun Zone,” they played “Lame to Claim to Fame” from the their most recent studio album, “Mandatory Fun,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 2014.

Yeah, being hilarious does have its perks

Yankovic channeled his inner David Byrne for “Dog Eat Dog” and paid tribute to another front man with “My Baby’s In Love with Eddie Vedder.”

The only misstep – given the news from Texas that day about a mass shooting at a school – was when they dusted off the seldom-heard “Nature Trail to Hell” from his second studio album released in 1984.

He called it “a horror movie theme song.”

But lyrics about “a homicidal maniac who finds a Cub Scout troop and he hacks up two or three in every scene,” felt inappropriate after the Texas tragedy. The R.E.M.-flavored “Frank’s 2,000” TV” might’ve been a better choice.

Yankovic next lightened the mood with the theme song from his 1989 movie “UHF.” Want to laugh a lot Rent that movie. You won’t be disappointed.

Having played so many songs in more than 1,000 concerts, it must be refreshing for the band to change things up a bit.

For example, they gave “Dare to be Stupid” – the Devo-inspired song about letting bed bugs bite and putting all your eggs in one basket – a slow, mellow feel. It worked.

The irony of “Close But No Cigar,” the hilarious lyrics on “CNR,” the ‘50s doo-wop sounds of the bitter “One More Minute” and an extended rap in “Craigslist” found the band at the top of its game.

The crowd, which ranged in age from about 8 to 80, ate it up.

We did meet one fan in the parking ramp elevator afterwards who seemed unhappy. I guess he wanted costumes, videos and props. Hey, Yankovic was upfront about those not being on this tour.

For the encore, after closing with “Albuquerque,” the band played a spot-on cover of the Violent Femmes” “Blister in the Sun.” No parody lyrics. No laughs, Just good music.

Then Yankovic did a medley of five of his most popular covers: “Amish Paradise, ”Smells Like Nirvana,” “White & Nerdy,” “Word Crimes” and “Yoda.” The crowd sang along.

After seeing Yankovic and his band for the fourth time in seven years, I again wonder why they are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

They are able to morph into any musical style. He writes smart and hilarious lyrics. He’s sold more than 12 million albums, won five Grammy Awards, parodied more than 150 songs, and is fun in concert.

He’s had his own TV show, has a funny series on-line where he “interviews” celebrities, a graphic novel is coming out and there’s a movie due soon starring Daniel Radcliffe as Yankovic.

Plus, he’s done more to sell records of other artists than most radio stations or MTV.

Why did we drive up to Milwaukee for a Tuesday night show? We have a conflict when the tour hits the Chicago Symphony Center on July 15 and 16.

My son Craig, 25, and I agreed that the scaled-down tour is worth seeing as we played “Weird Al” CDs on the drive home.

That afternoon, we half expected to see Yankovic or his likeness at the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee.

Hmm. Bobbleheads. Milwaukee. “Weird Al.” Why do I think there’s a song waiting to be written?

Comedian Emo Phillips opened and had the audience laughing often during his clever, off-beat 30-minute performance.

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“Weird Al” Yankovic:  The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour

Concert Hall

America’s foremost song parodist brings his Grammy Award®-winning humor.

Please note, VIP packages are no longer available.

Wed. Oct. 19, 2022

Wed. Oct. 19, 2022 8p.m.

Upcoming Dates

Price Range

$39.00 – $329.00

Presenting Sponsor

Almost four years after his first foray into unfamiliar concert territory with his highly-acclaimed Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour, “Weird Al” Yankovic is pressing his luck again, this time with The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour . The tour marks Weird Al’s long-anticipated return to the concert stage after his hugely successful Strings Attached Tour in 2019 where he performed each night alongside a full symphony orchestra.

Once again drawing from his back catalogue of 14 studio albums, Weird Al promises to deliver a different set list every night, with no two shows the same. As before, rather than focusing on the hits from his career, the show will feature Yankovic’s non-parody material – the somewhat more obscure pastiches and original songs that have largely escaped the pop culture radar but are adored by his long-time fans. And like the last Vanity Tour, he is leaving behind the high-octane theatrics that he’s known for and going bare-bones – no costumes, no props, no video screens… just Al and his band of almost four decades in smaller, more intimate venues, hanging out on stage, playing music.

“Weird Al” Yankovic is the biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time. A five-time Grammy winner, his 2014 release Mandatory Fun was the first comedy album in history to debut at #1 on Billboard ’s Top 200. He is one of only five artists to have had Top 40 singles in each of the last four decades, the other four being Michael Jackson, Madonna, U2, and Kenny G. On August 27, 2018 the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce awarded Weird Al with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Legendary comedian Emo Philips has performed over 7000 stand-up comedy shows across the globe, including a two-week theater run in London’s West End. Career highlights include his acclaimed comedy album E=MO Squared and the hour-long HBO special Emo Philips Live at the Hasty Pudding Theatre . Emo is especially proud, however, of when he got to demonstrate the proper use of a table saw to Weird Al in the film UHF .

VIP Packages View Less

VIP Packages

Please note, VIP packages are no longer available. Each package includes one (1) Premium Reserved ticket in the first 15 rows, plus:

• Meet & Greet with Weird Al after the show with a photo opportunity
• Personally autographed, custom-designed 2022 Vanity Tour poster, exclusive to VIPs!
• Be a part of Weird Al Jeopardy! – a Pre-Concert Game Show Experience challenging people to the ultimate Weird Al trivia contest. Register for the chance to be a contestant, or just play along from the audience (Shhh! No shouting answers!)
• Pre-show Hang with fellow fans - including complimentary non-alcoholic beverages
• Collectible Weird Al Merchandise item
• Souvenir VIP Laminate
• Early Entry into the venue
• Crowd-Free Merchandise Shopping
• On-site VIP host

“Weird Al” Yankovic

Few would have guessed that “Weird Al” Yankovic—who as a shy, accordion-playing teenager got his start sending in homemade tapes to the Dr. Demento Radio Show—would go on to become a pop culture icon and the biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time, with classic song and music video parodies such as Eat It , Like a Surgeon , Smells Like Nirvana , Amish Paradise , White & Nerdy , and Word Crimes .  Now in his fourth decade as America’s foremost song parodist, he has been the recipient of numerous awards, including five Grammys® (out of sixteen total nominations), and a string of Gold and Platinum albums.

Yankovic has remained active as a recording artist. Weird Al’s 14th studio album, the Grammy® Award-winning Mandatory Fun (2014), became the first comedy album in history to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, and the first to even reach the top of that chart since 1963.  Yankovic set the U.S. record on Spotify for having the most tracks from one album in the viral top 10 at one time, taking the top four spots.  In addition, Word Crimes  debuted in the Billboard Top 40, making Al one of only four artists to have had Top 40 singles in each of the last four decades (the other three being Michael Jackson, Madonna and U2).

In addition to his cult-hit feature film UHF (1989), his late ‘90s CBS Saturday morning series The Weird Al Show and numerous AL-TV specials he has made for MTV and VH1 over the years, Yankovic has remained a staple of film and television, from appearances on The Simpsons, 30 Rock, The Goldbergs and How I Met Your Mother to performing live on the Primetime Emmy Awards® and starring in his own concert specials for Disney, VH, and Comedy Central. 

Yankovic added “New York Times bestselling author” to his resumé in 2011 with the release of his children’s book, When I Grow Up (HarperCollins), followed two years later by My New Teacher and Me!   An animated series based on his children’s books is currently being developed in partnership with the Jim Henson Company.  

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‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Plots Epic, 133-Date 2022 ‘Ill-Advised Vanity Tour’

The encore run of the jest singer's previous odds and sods outing is slated to kick off on April 23.

By Gil Kaufman

Gil Kaufman

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“Weird Al” Yankovic is eager to get back on the road after a long pandemic break, which is why it makes sense that the accordion squeezing polkamaniac rolled out a massive slate of 2022 dates for his cleverly named next tour.

As a sequel to his 77-date Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour in 2018, Al is revving up the odds and sods machine again for the 2022 The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour , which will once again eschew his more famous parody songs and hits for deeper cuts. The singer’s site notes that the 133-date trek is once again not his normal outing, reminding fans that “this is a scaled-down tour with limited production (no costumes, props, or video screens) in smaller theatres and more intimate settings, and Al’s setlist will be comprised almost entirely of his original (non-parody) songs.”

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The special guest on the tour that is slated to kick off on April 26 at the Bardavon Opera House in Poughkeepsie, New York is veteran comedian Emo Philips, who was also the opener on the first go-round. The routing will keep Al on the road through an Oct. 29 show at new York’s Carnegie Hall, his first-ever gig at that venerable venue. “I’ve loved doing every single incarnation of my live show, but honestly the Vanity tour is the most fun I’ve ever had on stage,” Yankovic said in a statement, “so I’ve been dying to get back out there and torture everybody with it once again!”

Trending on Billboard

So, while fans on the previous tour didn’t get favorites such as “Eat It,” “Fat” or “My Bologna,” each set list on the original Self-Indulgent tour featured a rotation of more than 50 originals, including “The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota,” “Christmas at Ground Zero,” “Generic Blues,” “I Was Only Kidding,” “Mr. Frump in the Iron Lung,” “The Night Santa Went Crazy” and many more. Tickets for the tour go on sale on Dec. 10.

Check out the dates here .

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“Weird Al” Yankovic Plots Massive North American Tour for 2022

With special guest Emo Phillips as support

“Weird Al” Yankovic is planning on spending the vast majority of his 2022 on the road. On Friday, the comedian announced “The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent Ill-Advised Vanity Tour.”

The tour officially kicks off April 26th in Poughkeepsie, NY and runs through the end of October, stopping practically everywhere you can think of — from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to Midwest City, OK — before wrapping up October 29th at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. All told, “Weird Al” will play 133 shows.

While the six-month run of dates across the U.S. and Canada promises to be both self-indulgent and ill-advised, “Weird Al” is doing things a little differently this time around. “Please note: this is a scaled-down tour with limited production (no costumes, props, or video screens) in smaller theatres and more intimate settings, and Al’s setlist will be comprised almost entirely of his original (non-parody) songs,” reads a note coinciding with the list of tour stops.

A Ticketmaster pre-sale begins Wednesday, December 8th (pre-sale code: BELLS), with a public on-sale following on December 10th. Head here for more information.

In October, Yankovic celebrated Halloween by voicing trick-or-treater Lock in Danny Elfman’s live-to-film concert of Nightmare Before Christmas alongside Billie Eilish, Paul Reubens, and Ken Page.

“Weird Al” Yankovic 2022 Tour Dates: 04/26 – Poughkeepsie, NY @ Bardavon Opera House 04/27 – Albany, NY@ The Egg Center for the Performing Arts 04/29 – New Bedford, MA @ Zeiterion Performing Arts Center 04/30 – Orono, ME @ Collins Center for the Performing Arts 05/01 – Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom 05/03 – Portland, ME @ Merrill Auditorium 05/04 – New London, CT @ Garde Arts Center 05/06 – Medford, MA @ Chevalier Theatre 05/07 – Medford, MA @ Chevalier Theatre 05/08 – Burlington, VT @ The Flynn 05/10 – Ridgefield, CT @ The Ridgefield Playhouse 05/11 – Rochester, NY @ Kodak Center 05/14 – Wilkes-Barre, PA @ The F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts 05/15 – Erie, PA @ Warner Theatre 05/17 – Canton, OH @ Canton Palace Theatre 05/18 – Saginaw, MI @ The Temple Theatre 05/20 – Detroit, MI @ Fisher Theatre 05/21 – Nashville, IN @ Brown County Music Center 05/22 – Springfield, IL @ Sangamon Auditorium 05/24 – Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Performing Arts Center 05/25 – Evansville, IN @ Victory Theatre 05/27 – Pelham, TN @ The Caverns 05/28 – Pelham, TN @ The Caverns 05/29 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium 05/31 – Little Rock, AR @ Robinson Performance Hall 06/01 – Tulsa, OK @ Tulsa Theater 06/03 – Denver, CO @ Ellie Caulkins Opera House 06/04 – Denver, CO @ Ellie Caulkins Opera House 06/05 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Capitol Theatre 06/06 – Boise, ID @ Morrison Center for the Performing Arts 06/08 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Venetian Theatre 06/10 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Venetian Theatre 06/11 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Venetian Theatre 06/12 – Reno, NV @ Silver Legacy Resort & Casino – Reno Ballroom 06/15 – San Francisco, CA @ Golden Gate Theatre 06/16 – San Francisco, CA @ Golden Gate Theatre 06/17 – Los Angeles, CA @ TBA 06/18 – Los Angeles, CA @ TBA 06/20 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Granada Theatre 06/21 – Bakersfield, CA @ Fox Theatre 06/24 – Spokane, WA @ Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox 06/25 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater 06/26 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall 06/28 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre 06/29 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre 06/30 – Eugene, OR @ Hult Center for the Performing Arts – Silva Concert Hall 07/02 – Vancouver, BC @ The Centre 07/04 – Edmonton, AB @ Winspear Centre 07/05 – Calgary, AB @ Jack Singer Concert Hall 07/06 – Calgary, AB @ Jack Singer Concert Hall 07/08 – Regina, SK @ Conexus Arts Centre 07/09 – Saskatoon, SK @ TCU Place 07/10 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre for the Performing Arts 07/11 – Duluth, MN @ Symphony Hall 07/14 – Madison, WI @ Overture Center for the Arts – Overture Hall 07/15 – Chicago, IL @ Symphony Center – Orchestra Hall 07/16 – Chicago, IL @ Symphony Center – Orchestra Hall 07/19 – Cedar Rapids, IA @ Paramount Theatre 07/20 – Columbia, MO @ Missouri Theatre 07/22 – Lincoln, NE @ Lied Center 07/23 – Mankato, MN @ Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center 07/24 – Minneapolis, MN @ State Theatre 07/26 – Elkhart, IN @ The Lerner Theatre 07/29 – Lewiston, NY @ Artpark Mainstage Theater 07/30 – Ottawa, ON @ National Arts Centre – Southam Hall 08/01 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall 08/02 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall 08/03 – Williamsport, PA @ Community Arts Center – Martin Theatre 08/05 – Northampton, MA @ Calvin Theatre 08/06 – Lancaster, PA @ American Music Theatre 08/07 – Lancaster, PA @ American Music Theatre 08/09 – Newport News, VA @ Ferguson Center for the Arts 08/10 – Richmond, VA @ Dominion Energy Center – Carpenter Theatre 08/12 – Wilmington, NC @ Wilson Center 08/13 – Charlotte, NC @ Blumenthal Performing Arts Center – Belk 08/14 – Charleston, SC @ Charleston Gaillard Center 08/17 – Knoxville, TN @ Tennessee Theatre 08/18 – Greenville, SC @ Peace Center 08/19 – Huntsville, AL @ Von Braun Center – Mark C. Smith Concert Hall 08/20 – Birmingham, AL @ Alabama Theatre 08/22 – Ashland, KY @ Paramount Arts Center 08/23 – Dayton, OH @ Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center 08/25 – Grand Rapids, MI @ GLC Live at 20 Monroe 08/26 – Benton Harbor, MI @ The Mendel Center at Lake Michigan College 08/28 – Chesterfield, MO @ Chesterfield Amphitheater 08/30 – Springfield, MO @ Gillioz Theatre 08/31 – Topeka, KS @ Topeka Performing Arts Center 09/01 – Wichita, KS @ The Cotillion 09/02 – Kansas City, MO @ Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts 09/04 – Midwest City, OK @ Hudiburg Chevrolet Center at Rose State College 09/06 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Pikes Peak Center 09/07 – Grand Junction, CO @ Avalon Theatre 09/09 – Greeley, CO @ Union Colony Civic Center 09/10 – Santa Fe, NM @ The Santa Fe Opera – The Crosby Theatre 09/11 – Chandler, AZ @ Chandler Center for the Arts 09/13 – Riverside, CA @ Fox Performing Arts Center 09/15 – Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre 09/16 – Temecula, CA @ Pechanga Theater 09/18 – Thousand Oaks, CA @ Bank of America Performing Arts Center 09/21 – Saratoga, CA @ The Mountain Winery 09/24 – Davis, CA @ Robert & Margaret Mondavi Center for Performing Arts 09/25 – San Diego, CA @ Balboa Theatre 09/26 – San Diego, CA @ Balboa Theatre 09/27 – Tucson, AZ @ Fox Tucson Theatre 09/29 – Lubbock, TX @ Helen Devitt Jones Theater 09/30 – Dallas, TX @ Majestic Theatre 10/01 – Houston, TX @ Cullen Performance Hall 10/02 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater 10/04 – San Antonio, TX @ Majestic Theatre 10/06 – Memphis, TN @ Graceland Soundstage 10/07 – Shreveport, LA @ The Strand Theatre 10/08 – Lafayette, LA @ Heymann Performing Arts Center 10/09 – Pensacola, FL @ Saenger Theatre 10/11 – Melbourne, FL @ King Center for the Performing Arts 10/12 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Parker Playhouse 10/13 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Parker Playhouse 10/15 – Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall 10/16 – Orlando, FL @ Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts – Walt Disney Theatre 10/17 – Orange Park, FL @ Thrasher-Horne Center 10/19 – Washington, DC @ The Kennedy Center – Concert Hall 10/21 – Atlanta, GA @ Symphony Hall 10/22 – Atlanta, GA @ Symphony Hall 10/23 – Raleigh, NC @ Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts 10/25 – Roanoke, CA @ Berglund Performing Arts Center 10/26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Carnegie Music Hall – Rose and Gilt Theatre 10/28 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kimmel Cultural Campus 10/29 – New York, NY @ Carnegie Hall – Stern Auditorium

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"Weird Al" Yankovic 2022 Return Of The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour

Article contributed by aeg presents | published on tuesday, december 7, 2021.

Almost four years after his first foray into unfamiliar concert territory with his highly acclaimed Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour, “Weird Al” Yankovic will be pressing his luck again, this time with The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour.  The tour will launch on April 23, 2022 and run through North America for six months and a staggering 133 shows, culminating in New York City on Oct. 29 with Weird Al’s first-ever concert appearance at Carnegie Hall.

The tour marks Weird Al’s long-anticipated return to the concert stage after his hugely successful Strings Attached Tour in 2019 where he performed each night alongside a full symphony orchestra at such world-renowned venues as New York’s Forest Hills Stadium, Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Washington D.C.’s Wolf Trap.

Once again drawing from his back catalogue of 14 studio albums, Weird Al promises to deliver a different set list every night – and in cities where he’s playing two shows back to back, no songs will be repeated.  As before, rather than focusing on the hits from his career, the show will feature Yankovic’s non-parody material – the somewhat more obscure pastiches and original songs that have largely escaped the pop culture radar but are adored by his long-time fans.  And like the last Vanity Tour, he will be playing smaller, more intimate venues leaving behind the high-octane theatrics that he’s known for and going bare-bones – no costumes, no props, no video screens… just Al and his band of almost four decades hanging out on stage, playing music.

Reflecting on his decision to bring back the stripped-down concerts, Al said “I’ve loved doing every single incarnation of my live show, but honestly the Vanity tour is the most fun I’ve ever had on stage… so I’ve been dying to get back out there and torture everybody with it once again!”

Opening the show each night will be returning fan favorite and Al’s long-time friend (and UHF cast member), the legendary comedian Emo Philips.

“Weird Al” Yankovic is the biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time. A five-time Grammy winner, his 2014 release Mandatory Fun was the first comedy album in history to debut at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200.  He is one of only five artists to have had Top 40 singles in each of the last four decades, the other four being Michael Jackson, Madonna, U2, and Kenny G.  On August 27, 2018 the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce awarded Weird Al with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

All dates for The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour are listed at weirdal.com . Tickets for all performances will go on sale at 10:00 am local time Friday, December 10.

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Kicking Off The Weird Al Yankovic Tour 2022 (Day 2, 26.4.2022)

Pough… Pough… Keepsie? Poughkeepsie! I do love my Pittsburgh Penguins trips – like the last one in March 2022 . But they are limited. There are less than 30 teams – so that’s the set of cities you typically travel to (and – due to distances – some places like Winnipeg might never make it. Following Weird Al just gives you a lot more options. Like Poughkeepsie in New York State, the place of the first show on my trip in April 2022 . Welcome to the second day trip report entry of this trip, leading you a place, which I might have never known of if there wasn’t the weird accordion player.

Good Morning Queens

The only drink I could have after the mess on Day 1 finally was coffee, so that I started with a machine load in the morning. Breakfast at the Microtel Inn Long Island City was rather limited and contained packaged food only. The rental car was reserved for 11:00 (as I thought a relaxed start into the day might be a good option), so that I could work on some stuff, prepare the website for the next days etc.

A Playlist!

I wanted to do that earlier already – but I especially all the fuzz on Day did not really give me the time to do. What would be this road trip (and the one in October through Florida) be without an appropriate playlist. Here are most of the Weird Al originals (excluding a few and adding very few covers. Hope you enjoy my Microtel Queens morning work.

I took another cab ride and grabbed my rental car at a Budget place in Uptown Manhattan. Sounds weird, but that saved me some 300 USD compared to getting a car at JFK for the trip – even if I include the taxi costs. Nice car – a Nissan Rogue – but they told me that I have to open the EZ Pass transponder for toll road payment. Bad luck: the car is pay by plate. How am I supposed to know that? They did not answer the phone while I was heading Upstate New York already… Some 30 tries… Could sort it out by asking another Budget station later on the trip. And the trip up to the Catskills is a real beauty 🙂

The Mother of all Festivals

I headed straight to Bethel Woods, New York. Bethel what? You might not be aware that the legendary 1969 Woodstock Festival has not been held in Woodstock in 1969. The Museum of Bethel Woods reminds of that. In fact, there is even quite a distance between the famous village and the original festival ground. After the opening times were unfortunate the last time I was in that area (for a Weird Al concert, too, by the way), I this time made it. Great place – and somehow magical to be at the original Woodstock place. By the way: whenever I wanted to step out of the car, it was raining heavily. I take it a bit of personally, New York State Weather!

Stocking Up, German Style

I never had food yet nor sufficient drinks. So I fueled up the car .- and myself… And went to Aldi for shopping. Nice place, but I prefer the German Aldi outlets.

Poughkeepsie Sleeping Paradise

I headed straight to Poughkeepsie now, also as time was running. The sleep provider for this night was the Hampton Inn & Suites Poughkeepsie , which is South of city center, rather in the commercial area of the city – IBM has some offices around. Great suite room with a work desk making me feel like a CEO or so… Like that 🙂

Just some snaps…

First of all, it was raining – and secondly, I was late and just arrived at the venue a few minutes before they opened for the “ordinary” (non-VIP) crowd. Thus, I did not do Poughkeepsie sightseeing – there are likely not that many, but the Riverfront is likely quite nice.

Forget Everything Above… THAT’s what this trip is all about…

So good to be back at the shows – and great to run into familiar people – like Jeremy, one of my closest friends in the Weird Al community. Whenever my wife is complaining that I do nine shows during the 2022 tour, I can state this Weird Al fan legend does five times more 😉 The theater was sold out – which is also remarkable because Al is not playing his famous covers (apart from a medley in the encore).

I had a bit of an unfortunate seating. Al’s face was covered all the time by a microphone which headed towards the audience from my point of view – and keyboarder Ruben Valtierra was hidden behind the PA for me as well. Still some pictures below – I felt THIS is what you finally want to see, so I went for the Pictured Stories picture size in here. The show was cool and featured some of my very favorite originals, especially my all-time favorite  Skipper Dan , but also a hilarious version (with a partial re-start) of  Albuquerque or tracks which rarely make it to ordinary shows. My highlight of the show was the first song of the encore, though, when Al and the band performed  You Can Call Me Al , originally my Simon & Garfunkel. Hope the pictures are somewhat fine, expect better ones from Albany on Day 3 (better seat).

Something weird happened after the show, which leaves me a bit of dazzled… Time to sort it out the next days…

Weird Al Yankovic 2022 Tour Kick-Off – Day by Day

Here are the episodes of my 2022 Weird Al Yankovic tour kick-off trip report

• Kicking Off The Weird Al Yankovic Tour 2022 – Overview Posting
• Day 1, 25.4.2022 – A really weird Trip… But at least fast!
• Day 2, 26.4.2022 – Woodstock Grounds and the Pough-City
• Day 3, 27.4.2022 – Being VIP in Albany with an informal promise
• Day 4, 28.4.2022 – JFK and NHL Hockey
• Day 5, 29.4.2022 – My Final Curtain… For Five Months
• Day 6/7, 30.4./1.5.2022 – Back Home

Postings about Road Trips

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Traveling on Iceland’s Ring Road (Day 5 – 3rd May 2023) – Husavik to Akureyri

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Exploring Barra With Barra Island Tours

Weird Al & Grass Court Tennis 2019 (Day 5/6 – 21st/22nd July 2019)

Weird Al & Grass Court Tennis 2019 (Day 4 – 20th July 2019)

Weird Al & Grass Court Tennis 2019 (Day 3 – 19th July 2019)

Weird Al & Grass Court Tennis 2019 (Day 2 – 18th July 2019)

Weird Al & Grass Court Tennis 2019 (Day 1 – 17th July 2019)

A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 (Day 6 – 5th June 2019)

A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 (Day 5 – 4th June 2019)

A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 (Day 4 – 3rd June 2019)

A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 (Day 3 – 2nd June 2019)

A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 (Day 2 – 1st June 2019)

A Musical Trip to CMA Fest 2019 (Day 1 – 31st May 2019)

Trip Report: On Tour with Weird Al Yankovic (Day 5&6)

Trip Report: On Tour with Weird Al Yankovic (Day 4)

Trip Report: On Tour with Weird Al Yankovic (Day 3)

Trip Report: On Tour with Weird Al Yankovic (Day 2)

Trip Report: On Tour with Weird Al Yankovic (Day 1)

Trip Report: On Tour with Weird Al Yankovic (Preview)

Media review (2022 women country).

Here are all my Media Reviews of 2022 , which are related to female country artists :

Madeline Consoer – Little Miss EP

Poppy Fardell – Back On My Feet

Melissa Carper – Ramblin’ Soul

Stephanie Quayle – On The Edge

Tiffany Johnson – Over Emotional EP

Emily Nenni – On The Ranch

Lainey Wilson – Bell Bottom Country

Callista Clark – Real To Me: The Way I Feel

Avery Anna – Mood Swings EP

Ashley McBryde – Lindeville

Sunny Sweeney – Married Alone

Kelsea Ballerini – Subject To Change

Nikki Lane – Denim & Diamonds

Jolina Carl – Hallo, ich bin Jolina Carl

Ingrid Andress – Good Person

Sykamore – Pinto

Kelsey Waldon – No Regular Dog

Brooke Eden – Choosing You EP

Kaylee Rose – Hot Minute EP

The Local Honeys – The Local Honeys

Kimberly Kelly – I’ll Tell You What’s Gonna Happen

Kylie Morgan – P.S. EP

Rachel LaRen – Cowboys Don’t Change EP

Carrie Underwood – Denim & Rhinestones

Jillian Jacqueline – Honestly

Christa Fartek – Nashville and Me

Harper Grae – Confessions of a Good Southern Lady EP

Tenille Townes – Masquerades EP

Caitlyn Smith – High

Ann Doka – House of Change

Maren Morris – Humble Quest

Tiffany Woys – All About Love EP

Dolly Parton – Run, Rose, Run

Jackie Bristow – Outsider

Sarah Shook & The Disarmers – Nightroamer

Priscilla Block – Welcome To The Block Party

Erin Rae – Lighten Up

Rachel Bradshaw – Rachel Bradshaw EP

Carolyn Miller – Thank You EP

• ← Driving Up Jebel Jais Mountain
• Stephen Jay – Vita Beata →

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, weird: the al yankovic story.

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“Weird Al” Yankovic stands at the precipice of greatness and next to some hot dog buns when he has another eureka moment. At a party packed with the real Yankovic's spiritual influences—including Andy Warhol , Gallagher, Elvira, Tiny Tim , Devine, and Pee-Wee Herman —the ascending parody artist is challenged to show his skills on the spot, to come up with another parody. With an accordion in hand and his bandmates’ hand-farts and suitcase providing percussion, Daniel Radcliffe ’s version of “Weird Al” turns Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” into “Another One Rides the Bus,” lip-syncing Yankovic’s voice with the same volcanic intensity as Eminem rap-battling for his life in “ 8 Mile .” It’s one of many sarcastic flashes of genius in this biopic, but it does have BBQ attendee Salvador Dalí reacting, “‘Weird Al’ will change everything we know about art!”  

However serious you take that exclamation, it comes from a perfect centerpiece scene for “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” a pop music phantasmagoria that’s equally egoless and entertaining. Co-written by director Eric Appel and “Weird Al” Yankovic, “Weird” distills what has kept Yankovic a subversive force on the Billboard charts since the 1980s to create one of the funniest movies of the year.  

The plotting of “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” is its own big joke, a fever dream by a self-deprecating entertainer looking into a funhouse mirror. Yankovic did become a legendary accordion player thanks to a door-to-door salesman; Madonna (played here by Evan Rachel Wood , relishing every bubble gum chew in a comically villainous role) did request that Yankovic parody her song "Like a Virgin,” leading to the birth of Yankovic’s “Like a Surgeon”; Yankovic did record songs like “I Love Rocky Road,” “My Bologna,” and Michael Jackson parody “Eat It,” proving that parodies can be commercial in an evolving music business. But the giddy thrill of "Weird" is the rollicking ways it takes to hit these points while spoofing the wholesomeness of Yankovic’s image. The real “Weird Al” does not drink to excess, take hallucinogens, or rip off his Hawaiian shirts on stage to bear a six-pack. This version hilariously does, which itself is an act of preserving humility about who “Weird Al” truly is.  

This movie flourishes with absurd opposites; take Yankovic’s loving parents, who are now imagined here as the bitter inspiration for his success. His father ( Toby Huss ) wants him to take on a life “at the factory” (a funny ongoing joke) and has forced Yankovic to become a closeted accordion player (his mother, played by a tender Julianne Nicholson , bought it for him secretly). It’s an imperfect foundation for the comedy: it inspires sweetness from young Al and a hilariously over-the-top reaction, as when the boy's first parody causes his father to yell, “What you’re doing is confusing, and evil!” But it also hews a little too close to “ Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story ,” a previous music biopic comedy that dominated such tropes behind the Tortured Great Musician, which always starts with elusive parent validation.

But “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" has many of its own ideas, breaking from the true story with zeal. This fracture happens right about the time Yankovic is given guacamole laced with LSD by his real-life mentor Dr. Demento ( Rainn Wilson ) and during an animated acid trip writes a song called “Eat It,” which the real Yankovic and Will Forte (as smarmy executives) then confirm is “100% original.” The success turns this “Weird Al” into the most popular recording artist of all time, and  People deems him the “Sexiest Man Alive.” When Oprah ( Quinta Brunson ) interviews him, he wears mini platinum records around his neck.  

A plot line about this "Weird Al" wanting to then only write original songs is especially inspired, as Yankovic has countless gems that are highly literate parodies of a band's entire discography — they just don’t play on the radio. In this version, "Weird Al" believes that only original songs will make people take him seriously as an artist. It requires retconning of all of pop music history for this movie to make that possible. 

The script is full of such amazing fakeouts and downplays, and instead of losing momentum by feeling like it's just stretching its “Funny or Die” skit origins, its plotting often zig-zags and then goes turbo on a bit for 10 minutes. “Weird” beats the accusation of being “a feature-length version of a skit” by not trying to play the more formal narrative game that has undone countless "Saturday Night Live" movies and made that phrase a modern diss. And its editing, with rhythms inspired by “Airplane!”, builds to incredible pay-offs (a couple including amazing references to something called a “hay boy”). Even its ending is jaw-dropping and laugh-out-loud; it’s one of Yankovic’s most wholesome-extreme jokes he’s ever made.  The closing credits had me in tears. 

Radcliffe is perfect as Yankovic, starting with the actor’s control of his artistic image, which has previously allowed him to be as seriously compelling as a farting corpse (" Swiss Army Man "). He completes what makes this parody of Yankovic’s clean-cut image so funny—the vivid innocence that soon turns into a brash arrogance, fueled by the desire to prove himself to his parents and the world. It's fitting when Radcliffe’s version of Yankovic is thrown into an elaborate action scene that explodes out of nowhere, with Radcliffe’s physicality and game nature adding to the movie’s overall joke and joy. Radcliffe’s performance is vulgar without violating the anchoring credo that allows Yankovic’s to be wholesome while letting its visual lyrics reach extremes—no cussing.  

Throughout, Radcliffe's musical performances as “Weird Al” are lip-synced by the real Yankovic, a choice that reminds the viewer of why we’re all here: a storyteller whose work is sincere, very silly, respectful that the audience will get the joke, and comfortably unhinged. The darker corners of Yankovic's style—about macabre delusions, (“Good Old Days”), over-the-top violence (“The Night Santa Went Crazy"), and devastating heartbreak ("You Don't Love Me Anymore”)—are applied to hilarious set-pieces that often go farther than you expect. Fans, new and longtime, who want a more accurate telling of Yankovic’s story will have to dig up the “Behind the Music” episode about Yankovic, (a collection of anecdotes about his nearly subversive sobriety), or read the work of Yankovic scholars like Nathan Rabin and Lily E. Hirsch.  

“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” strictly doesn’t include those above-mentioned pieces of his discography; it mostly only includes the songs that can be found on the greatest hits tape that converted this writer decades ago. But it’s more spiritually in tune with the epic album closers Yankovic has put at the end of his more recent albums, like his Frank Zappa homage “Genius in France.” Like how that nine-minute song (also self-deprecating) bounces between various time signatures and grooves while always being catchy and funny, “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” lets the level of craftiness quietly speak for itself. Yankovic preserves only a certain kind of “Weird Al,” and yet it carries the values that have made him relevant for so long: that a (great) parody is an act of mastering, and that daring to be stupid is an unorthodox but fruitful path toward brilliance.

Now playing on the Roku Channel. 

Nick Allen is the former Senior Editor at RogerEbert.com and a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Film credits.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)

108 minutes

Daniel Radcliffe as 'Weird Al' Yankovic

Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna

Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento

Toby Huss as Nick Yankovic

Julianne Nicholson as Mary Yankovic

Quinta Brunson as Oprah Winfrey

"Weird Al" Yankovic as Tony Scotti

Will Forte as Ben Scotti

Patton Oswalt as Heckler

Michael McKean as Sleazy MC

Dot-Marie Jones as Mama Bear

Jorma Taccone as Pee-Wee Herman

Demetri Martin as Tiny Tim

Paul F. Tompkins as Gallagher

Akiva Schaffer as Alice Cooper

Conan O'Brien as Andy Warhol

Emo Philips as Salvador Dali

Nina West as Divine

Jack Black as Wolfman Jack

David Dastmalchian as John Deacon

Josh Groban as Waiter

Seth Green as Radio DJ

• "Weird Al" Yankovic

Cinematographer

• Jamie Kennedy
• Leo Birenberg
• Zach Robinson

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2023 TOUR DATES

Please note: this is a scaled-down tour with limited production (no costumes, props, or video screens) in smaller theatres and more intimate settings, and Al’s setlist will be comprised almost entirely of his original (non-parody) songs. 

SPECIAL GUEST: EMO PHILIPS

Europe & Australia Tour Dates

Hawaii tour dates.

Mark Taper Forum to reopen with ‘American Idiot,’ Larissa FastHorse’s ‘Fake It Until You Make It’

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It’s official: Center Theatre Group is reopening the Mark Taper Forum in the fall.

The prominent Los Angeles theater organization announced Sunday night that the historic downtown L.A. venue, which abruptly paused its season last year because of a significant budget shortfall, will resume programming in October.

One of the first productions to play the Taper after its 16-month pause will be the world premiere of “Fake It Until You Make It” (Jan. 29-March 9, 2025), the commissioned play by Larissa FastHorse that was halted just weeks before opening last year . Directed by Michael John Garcés, the satirical comedy about shifting identities will debut after CTG’s two-week workshop last fall.

“Despite the disappointment of last summer,” FastHorse said, the workshop was a way for CTG Artistic Director Snehal Desai, Managing Director and Chief Executive Meghan Pressman and the rest of the group to say, “We’re still behind this piece.”

“It was a huge gift that basically saved us two weeks of rehearsal, as we worked out fight choreography, physical comedy timing and the nuts and bolts of farce,” FastHorse said.

“The Taper is my hometown theater, and it’s my favorite space in America for seeing a play,” continued FastHorse, who will be the first Native American writer to have a mainstage production at the Taper since it opened in 1967. “I’ve always wanted to have a play there, so it’s deeply meaningful that it will still be in that space.” After its L.A. run, the co-production will later play Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage.

Entertainment & Arts

Commentary: What it feels like to have your history-making play canceled during the Taper’s closure

My new play, “Fake It Until You Make It,” commissioned by Center Theatre Group, was about to go into production at their Mark Taper Forum when the organization indefinitely “paused” Taper programming. Real damage has been done to L.A. communities.

June 21, 2023

CTG’s 2024-25 season — Desai’s first as the nonprofit theater group’s artistic director — kicks off with Green Day’s “American Idiot” (Oct. 2-Nov. 10), the politically-charged musical based on the band’s hit album of the same title. The rock opera, which made its Broadway debut in 2010 , follows a trio of young Americans as they struggle to find meaning in a post-9/11 world.

The Taper staging will be produced with Deaf West Theatre and will feature an ensemble of deaf and hearing actors, performing simultaneously in American Sign Language and English. Desai approached Deaf West Artistic Director DJ Kurs about collaborating on “American Idiot,” a selection made strategically as a “cathartic” offering for this election year.

“These characters are screaming into a world that doesn’t hear them, so why not invert the metaphor with a trio of deaf friends who are trying to be heard in this world?” said Desai, who will make his CTG directorial debut with the production.

“DJ shared that, throughout the deaf community, there’s all these covers of punk rock, because you can feel the vibration of the music. We found a real organic synergy with the concept, and it felt like a way to reopen the Taper in a big way.”

Over at the Ahmanson Theatre, CTG’s largest house, Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga will lead the previously announced “Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends” (Feb. 8-March 9, 2025). Directed by Matthew Bourne, the tribute to the legendary composer heads directly to Broadway after its North American premiere in L.A.

The season continues with the Broadway tour of “Life of Pi” (May 7-June 1, 2025), based on the beloved novel by Yann Martel. The play, written by Lolita Chakrabarti and directed by Max Webster, will transform the Ahmanson into the vast Pacific Ocean, where a 16-year-old boy is stranded on a lifeboat with four other survivors: a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a 450-pound royal Bengal tiger — all of which come to life with an acclaimed combination of puppeteering and visual effects.

Meanwhile, the Taper will debut a new version of “Hamlet” (May 28-July 6, 2025), adapted and directed by Robert O’Hara with inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock and the film noir genre. Desai approached O’Hara, who helmed CTG’s production of “Slave Play” in 2022 , about presenting a fresh take on a classic.

“I hope to do a new reimagining every season at the Taper moving forward,” said Desai. “While the Taper is known as a playwrights’ theater, I also want it to be a home for adventurous directors.”

L.A.’s Mark Taper Forum will reopen, but does Center Theatre Group have a sustainable path forward?

CTG Artistic Director Snehal Desai and Managing Director Meghan Pressman lay out a tentative road map for recovery, including the reopening of one of the city’s most important stages.

April 1, 2024

The Ahmanson will welcome “Parade” (June 17-July 12), the touring production of the Tony-winning Broadway revival. The musical — co-conceived by Harold Prince and featuring a book by Alfred Uhry and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown — examines the true story of Leo and Lucille Frank, a newlywed Jewish couple whose lives in 1900s Georgia is upended when Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime.

A seventh show of the 2024-25 season will be a Broadway musical at the Ahmanson, to be announced in the coming weeks.

CTG’s season also includes a continuation and expansion of CTG:FWD programming, an initiative created last year to present special events and community gatherings during the Taper’s programming pause.

These engagements include the 7 Fingers’ ”Duel Reality” (Sept. 11-22), an acrobatic spectacle inspired by “Romeo and Juliet” at the Ahmanson, as well as “SCAT! ... The Complex Lives of Al & Dot, Dot & Al Zollar” (Nov. 22-24), a dance-driven jazz club piece from Urban Bush Women produced in association with Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center.

The company’s third stage, the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, will have its own lineup of CTG:FWD events including TheaterWorksUSA’s “Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical” (Nov. 22-Jan. 5), adapted from Dav Pilkey’s “Dog Man” spinoff book series, and “El Otro Oz” (dates to be announced), a bilingual musical inspired by “The Wizard of Oz,” which had a limited run at the Douglas earlier this year.

CTG’s 2024-25 season subscription package, which goes on sale Monday online, includes “American Idiot,” “Fake It Until You Make It” and “Hamlet” at the Taper; as well as “Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends,” “Parade,” “Life of Pi” and the yet-to-be-announced musical at the Ahmanson. Fall 2024 CTG:FWD programming will be available to purchase as add-on performances to the subscription package, and spring 2025 CTG:FWD programming will go on sale at a later date.

A new play about Jesus comes to the O.C. It could provoke ‘intense’ reactions

World premiere ‘Galilee, 34,’ at South Coast Repertory through May 12, turns Biblical figures into flawed humans — in a way that some believers may take issue with.

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Ashley Lee is a staff reporter at the Los Angeles Times, where she writes about theater, movies, television and the bustling intersection of the stage and the screen. An alum of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Critics Institute and Poynter’s Power of Diverse Voices, she leads workshops on arts journalism at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. She was previously a New York-based editor at the Hollywood Reporter and has written for the Washington Post, Backstage and American Theatre, among others. She is currently working remotely alongside her dog, Oliver.

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