Weird Al Yankovic
It seems that Weird Al Yankovic visits our area about once a year. Maybe that is why he did not even come close to filling the Allentown Fairgrounds, since many fans have gotten a recent Yankovic fix. Last Saturday, though, an enthusiastic crowd of a little over two thousand proved that the Lehigh Valley is definitely Weird Al territory. All ages cheered, sang along, and even recited the lines to the video of “Eat It”, one of Yankovic’s Michael Jackson parodies.
Yankovic, a consistently great performer, did not sacrifice any sound quality by playing outdoors. The only downside was that he began an hour late (perhaps he waited until it became dark so it was easier to see him and his videos).
In his two-hour show, Yankovic did nearly all the tunes from his new release “Poodle Hat” (Volcano, 2003), as well as a generous portion of earlier hits. He began with one of his standard features: a medley of current rock hits done polka style, called “Angry White Boy Polka” in this incarnation.
Yankovic’s shows follow a formula whereby he, and often his four bandmates, change costumes for various songs. They dressed in black with beards for “Amish Paradise”, emulated hip hop fashion for “Couch Potato” (a parody of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”), and so on.
To make time for changes, a video screen above the stage showed various Al films and fake interviews. In the latter, Yankovic inserted himself asking questions of celebrities during other real interviews. Far from being filler, these were some of the show’s funniest moments. They revealed the less brilliant sides of Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, and Eminem, without cutting too deep.
Only one thing seemed weird last Saturday: The place should have been sold out.
--Dave Howell, 7/03
(This article first appeared in The Morning Call newspaper.)
Yankovic, a consistently great performer, did not sacrifice any sound quality by playing outdoors. The only downside was that he began an hour late (perhaps he waited until it became dark so it was easier to see him and his videos).
In his two-hour show, Yankovic did nearly all the tunes from his new release “Poodle Hat” (Volcano, 2003), as well as a generous portion of earlier hits. He began with one of his standard features: a medley of current rock hits done polka style, called “Angry White Boy Polka” in this incarnation.
Yankovic’s shows follow a formula whereby he, and often his four bandmates, change costumes for various songs. They dressed in black with beards for “Amish Paradise”, emulated hip hop fashion for “Couch Potato” (a parody of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”), and so on.
To make time for changes, a video screen above the stage showed various Al films and fake interviews. In the latter, Yankovic inserted himself asking questions of celebrities during other real interviews. Far from being filler, these were some of the show’s funniest moments. They revealed the less brilliant sides of Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, and Eminem, without cutting too deep.
Only one thing seemed weird last Saturday: The place should have been sold out.
--Dave Howell, 7/03
(This article first appeared in The Morning Call newspaper.)