Weird Al Yankovic - 25 Years Of Musical Wackiness
Resurfacing in 1992, with "Off The Deep End", Al now had his most popular parody subject -Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Capitalizing on the confusion about the song's lyrics, Al's version got the seal of approval from none other than Kurt Cobain. "Amish Paradise", perhaps his most clever parody, released on 1996's Grammy winning "Bad Hair Day", resulted in vociferous complaints from "Gangsta's Paradise" composer, Coolio, who claimed he had never given Yankovic permission for the parody. Despite this, the matter was resolved and the song still stands, and is somewhat of a cult classic. Yankovic is still lambasting pop culture today in 2004, and tours over 200 days a year, bringing his stage show to the masses.
In concert, Al is a tireless and entertaining performer, though if you're over 12 and not an avid fan (i.e. you know only the Michael Jackson parodies), the show might drag a bit when he performs his lesser-known numbers. His opening show at this year's Orange County, CA Fair showcased songs from all three decades of Yankovic's career, from "I Lost On Jeopardy" to "Pretty Fly For A Rabbi." Quick-can you name the originals that inspired these songs?
Obviously well rehearsed and choreographed to a tee with enough costume changes between songs to rival Cher, Weird Al's set lasted a little over an hour and a half, and featured most of his popular caricatures and a few originals. Between songs, the screens onstage featured clips of Al's videos and faux interviews with Britney, Justin and Eminem. The "Star Wars" encore of "Yoda" and "The Saga Begins" sent the crowd home happy. The only spoof that fell flat was "Couch Potato" the Eminem parody. That one got the crowd leaving in droves. Of course, this was Orange County. Al's band (drummer Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, guitarist Jim West, bass player Steve Jay and keyboardist Ruben Valtierra) really rocks, and they are as good, if not better, than a lot of bands that perform "serious" music.
Official Weird Al website: http://www.weirdal.com
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