“Weird Al” Yankovic
Washington State Fair, Puyallup, WA
09.14.15
There is something about the smug parodies of “Weird Al” Yankovic that makes my senses recoil, yet I am smiling, and even occasionally cracking with laughter, experiencing the dichotomy of Yankovic’s pop culture genius all in one sitting. The man has spent over three decades making a mockery of the music charts, taking artists and pop culture alike to task with humorous riffs on lyrics while impressively maintaining the original integrity of songs’ musical foundations. Mix that with his original pastiches, notable polka medleys, and the fact that he does all of this with courteously-requested permissions of the original artists and you start to understand the dedicated fan base Yankovic has built over the course of fourteen albums.
The crowd was out in full force for Yankovic’s live performance at The Fair, more than a few jauntily sporting foil hats and other appropriated accessories, for a set list covering both his most recent album Mandatory Fun – the first No. 1 album of his career – and numerous past hits. Tracks throughout were interspersed with extended video segments, allowing time for a myriad costume changes – from purple octopus to Amish, from fat suit to Devo – that serve to further inform the personas in Yankovic’s songs. It’s an incredibly admirable and well-thought-out show.
Not that the crowd needed much encouraging; they were singing along with every word, laughing so hard they bent at the waist, and playing right along with all of the crowd involvement, including Yankovic’s stroll through the aisles during “Wanna Be Ur Lovr,” during which he sang directly to numerous laughing ladies in the audience. I’m willing to admit, the guy has balls. And he’s managed to do it all with intelligence and respect, not to mention stamina. And the live show is definitely worth seeing at least once.
Weird Al Set List
Tacky
Lame Claim to Fame
Now That’s What I Call Polka!
Perform This Way
Dare to Be Stupid
Fat
First World Problems
Foil
Smells Like Nirvana
Party In The CIA/It’s All About the Pentiums/Handy/Bedrock Anthem/Another One Rides The Bus/Ode to a Superhero/Gump/Inactive/eBay/Canadian Idiot
Wanna Be Ur Lovr
Eat It/I lost on Jeopardy/I Love Rocky Road/Like a Surgeon
White & Nerdy
Word Crimes
Amish Paradise
Encore
The Saga Begins
Yoda
Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Sunny Martini
“Weird Al” Yankovic
Thank you for putting the list on the Internet – I have been trying to remember!!