All photos provided by David Becker
By 8:05pm the Paramount was already completely full of people of all ages. The sold out crowd was seated and ready to be entertained, and for the next two and a half hours, “Weird Al” Yankovic and his talented band did not disappoint.
Shortly after that, Yankovic brought out his trusty accordion and used the instrument to run through a polka medley called “Now That’s What I Call Polka!” while the original songs’ music videos were projected in the background. The comical highlight was Miley Cyrus swinging on screen behind Yankovic while he performed “Wrecking Ball” in polka form.
Using the projection screens behind the stage, Yankovic created a non-stop evening of entertainment. After almost every song, while Yankovic changed into whatever outfit accompanied his next number, the fans watched video shorts on the screens.
The clips ranged from fake interviews with celebrities like Michael Stipe of REM, Celine Dion, and Eminem, to various clips of Yankovic appearing in various shows, movies, and commercials. After seeing Yankovic either appear or be mentioned in pop culture staples like The Simpsons, Family Guy, the Bill Maher Show, The Naked Gun movies and so many more, it’s clear to see the vast impact Yankovic has made over the last few decades.
Yankovic continued playing his fans’ favorite songs throughout the course of the night, and he made each one a spectacle like only he can. He performed “Fat” while wearing his signature fat suit, “Smells Like Nirvana” while wearing a 90’s grunge outfit that was right out of the “Smells Like Teen Spirit Video”, and “Amish Paradise” dressed fully in black along with the appropriate top hat.
After a short break that featured the fans all standing and chanting “We Want Al!”, Yankovic finished the show with the Star Wars themed “The Saga Begins” and “Yoda”. He performed both of those songs along with eight storm troopers and a life-size Darth Vader, and he was dressed as an old Jedi. All in all, it was a non-stop night of entertainment that had everyone in attendance laughing all the way home.
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Setlist:
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
*Medley: Party in the CIA / All About the Pentiums / Handy / Bedrock Anthem / Another One Rides the Bus / Ode to a Superhero / Gump / Inactive / Ebay / Canadian Idiot*
Wanna B Ur Lovr
*Acoustic Medley: Eat It / I Lost on Jeopardy / I Love Rocky Road / Like a Surgeon*
White n’ Nerdy
Word Crimes
Amish Paradise
Encore:
We All Have Cell Phones
The Saga Begins
Yoda
