Weird Al is easily the most beloved comedic singer of all time. One of only four artists in history that has managed to have a Top 40 hit four decades running (the others being U2, Michael Jackson & Madonna), his enduring popularity and relatively clean material means that adults and kids alike have been enjoying his music for nearly half a century!
Well, Weird Al has been touring once again with his self-deprecatingly titled show ‘The Ill-Advised Vanity Tour’ and luckily for residents of the land down under, this tour has included Australia.
My son is as big a Weird Al fan as I, so what better to be the first concert of a 10-year old than to see the funny man in person, which we did at the Enmore Theatre.
Originals – Yes, Parodies – No
Weird Al is best known for his parodies of other singers works, but chose to leave them out of this tour, instead focusing on his original songs (of which he has written over 90). Whilst this was somewhat of a disappointment for those for whom songs like Fat or Foil are favourites, it meant that for many of us we were hearing some of his lesser known songs for the first time which was a treat indeed.
Still kickin it at 63
Despite the fact he looks much younger (he practices a level of clean living I could never attain) Weird Al is now in his mid sixties. When first entering the stage he did a high kick that would make the most stringent Karate master proud… and then sat down. For the rest of the show Weird Al and his band, also getting on in years, stayed seated with just some thrashing of the heads. Whilst this took away somewhat from the spectacle of the show, it did not detract overall and Al’s voice has lost nothing over the years – he could still belt out the hardest rock with an intensity that would rip my vocal cords apart. Lighting was used to excellent effect, adding some much needed visual appeal.
The Sound
Perhaps the one disappointment of the show. Either side of the stage were huge walls of speakers. Whether they were aging themselves so not as crisp sounding, or simply were cranked too high, the volume was such that there were a few songs where you simply couldn’t understand what Al was singing. Hopefully this is something they can rectify for future shows. The volume was that intense that at one point I could feel myself getting a headache and my son was covering his ears with his hands, despite us being a full 20 rows back from the stage.
Bringing down the house!
Despite these few quibbles, the last 3rd of the show really kicked buttock! Al finished off his main set with an even longer version of ‘Albuquerque’, a song of his that I had never cared for but that night had me in hysterics! This was followed by a most surprising encore: first Weird Al sang Paul Simon’s ‘You can call me Al’ – and no it wasn’t a parody, he just sang the song. It would be the first time in 40 years I’ve heard Weird Al sing a straight cover of another performers song and he did it quite well.
This was followed by a huge pastiche of bits of Al’s own parody songs (such as Amish Paradise) along with snippets of other songs like ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ – garnering him and his band a standing ovation from an appreciative crowd.
Other attendee’s reactions:
David from Sydney
It’s always a massive joy to see one of your favourite performers live, and it’s even more enjoyable when they surprise you! A really unusual selection of songs and bits of banter that reminded us all that Al has a hugely wide range, and just doing parodies isn’t his jam. sometimes you need to play a full set of your own weird idiosyncratic numbers that some folks may not know as well. but still showcase the bizarre brain of the man himself… The Pre-show set of Emo Phillips was a weird throwback to an older style of comedy that is both timeless and at the same time strangely dated. It therfore felt even weirder when making up to the minute gags about Russia and American foreign policy along side “kill my wife” that could have been from the 60s, 80s or 90s….
It was a great show, but the band and Al himself are definitely showing their age. A little less running around the stage, a little more 3 guys on stools playing great technically brilliant music.
I would have been happy to have seen any show, but “funny feeling you don’t love me anymore” is one of my all-time faves so it made me very happy that i got that one on my night. Oh and the dada-ist poem and rhythmic chanting in the end was a piece of pure magic!
Orion from Rural NSW
It was a really good concert, Weird Al sang ‘Albuquerque’ really well. I liked how he would say every berry donut they probably ever made in it. He mixed up lots of his parody choruses in one bit for the encore.
Jamie from Sydney
Weird Al Yankovic was such a joy to see in person! Performing at his very weirdest, he put on a show that included such dubious classics as “Dare to Be Stupid”, “Don’t Download This Song” and “The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota”. Demonstrating his phenomenal range, he performed some of his songs in different styles, including a Reggae cover of Word Crimes. Friends of mine went to the show the next night and got a completely different set – I know I’ll be buying tickets for both nights if I’m lucky enough to see him again!
Aaron from Perth
I think the show itself was pretty dang great. Biases aside Al is still extremely funny, and he and his band legitimately rock on stage. Admittedly the sound system wasn’t the best so during many of the songs it was difficult to understand any of the lyrics, which could hurt the enjoyment of any songs that I or other audience members aren’t intimately familiar with.
That said, the songs I didn’t know I enjoyed which was only a few, and he also played a few of my all time favourites of his (including a style altered version of my absolute childhood favourite). And the finale was a mind bending spectacle I couldn’t have seen coming.
Less to do with the show itself, but I did find the audience a tad underwhelming, it seemed barely anyone was reacting most of the time in contract to my family and I headbanging along with Sue for instance (and that’s not to mention the one guy that wouldn’t stop yelling “Albuquerque”).
All in all, a fun experience that my family and I loved.
Brendan from Sydney
Finally after being a fan of his for so long, I got the chance to see him in concert. And it was no disappointment. A great artist with alot of music out there, parodies and his own. Both are great.
Did you see Weird Al live in concert? What did you think? Feel free to pop your thoughts in the comments section below!