“Weird” Al Yankovic – The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour
Date: September 6, 2022
Despite owning every one of “Weird” Al Yankovic’s albums and knowing every one of his songs, I had never been to a Weird Al concert before. Well, technically I went to a Weird Al concert in 1985…in utero. And my parents wonder why I turned out the way I did. This time, I was conscious enough to remember it. After enduring a few years of not going to concerts (thanks to COVID and toddlers), this was a welcome change and a show I enjoyed because I finally got to see Weird Al in concert. My wife still had a good time, but this show was definitely for the super fans.
I had no other Weird Al concerts to compare this one to, but I was not disappointed. After all, I could sing along to these songs since I knew them so well. Sure, there weren’t any of his “most famous” parodies played during the set, but there are still so many fun songs in his repertoire that it’s hard to find one that’s objectively “the worst.” If the goal of this tour was for more intimate engagements, then this concert delivered on this promise. It almost felt like we were just hanging out with Al and his band as they jammed for a few hours.
Emo Phillips’ opening act was quite funny, and his comedy style had me laughing hard. It was also amusing how Yankovic mentioned that many of his songs are surprisingly dark before playing yet another one about “taking care of” a bully (“I Remember Larry”). Despite most of the setlist being composed of Yankovic’s obscure songs, he played many of my favorites, including “I’ll Sue Ya” and “Your Horoscope for Today.” The “Albuquerque” finale was definitely worth the price of admission, especially with the few moments of commentary or additional ad-libbed lyrics that made it go on for almost a half hour.