I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: September 20, 2016] “WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC

Back on June 16, 2015, Sarah and I took the kids to this very venue to see “Weird Al” perform.  He is (amazingly) still touring the Mandatory Fun World Tour, and he made another stop in Bethlehem en route to Radio City Music Hall.  I wasn’t planning on going this time since I know that his shows from the same tour are identical.  But when I learned that my friend Matt and many members of his family were going to go, it sounded like a fun celebration.  So we bought some tickets (not 3rd row like last time, although 13th row isn’t too shabby, it turns out), and met our friends for a fun night.

The Sands is a casino, and we were going to eat in one of the fancier restaurants lining the casino.  Well, PA state law says that a security guard must accompany minors around the casino.  So we got an escort to the Chinese Food place.  Then we sat down, were shocked at the prices–seriously shocked. I mean, it’s a casino, but c’mon it’s Bethlehem, there’s no way any Chinese Food is worth $28 a plate.  So we walked out (a first for me) and got escorted back to the food court where we ate overpriced food court Chinese Food instead.

Then we went in and were pleased with our seats and our neighbors.  And then the show started.

It proved to be the exact same setlist as last time.  But the good thing about me is that I don’t apparently remember things very well.  So I was sure there were things that he did differently this time around.  But my post from last time (and Matt’s excellent memory) convinced me otherwise.  I didn’t remember him doing any of the “unplugged” stuff, and I certainly didn’t remember him singing “Like a Surgeon” in a kind of do-wop and holding the note for a really long time.

But there were a number of small details that made the show exciting.  Last time he marched in from somewhere in the building, but this time he came in from outside, singing “Tacky” as he walked through the venue.  And last time he marched down the center aisle, but this time he went down the side, high-fiving people as he went.

Al does a lot of costume changes during the show.  In order to give the guys time to change (and to take a breather, I’m sure), they play very funny videos.  Most of the videos involve TV shows or movies in which Al’s name is mentioned or in which Al is a character.  But this time there were a few new videos that I’d never seen before.

The best, and longest, was called Real Food and it showed Al as the host of a food show in which he went in search of more and more real food, with unexpected consequences.

But even the ones that I’ve seen before (some now possibly 5 times) are always funny–especially if the crowd is really into it.  The clips where he “interviews” celebrities are always amazing.  I love that the Michael Stipe interview leads to a song about 20 minutes after the fact.  T. fondly recalled the Celine Dion/cannibalism joke and we had to try to explain what she might have meant by “I smelled mummy cooking.”  And of course, there’s Eminem “know what I’m sayin?” and his abyssmal language skills which lead to an awesome version for “Word Crimes” (which I somehow forgot about even though I love the song and Sarah has just bought a short of it).

And, since we weren’t in the third row, during “Wanna B Ur Lovr,” Al didn’t get to sing directly to Sarah, but he marched up way past the 13th  row, and since we were near the center, we got to see him up close as he intensely sang his cheesy declarations of love.  (A little creepy, perhaps).

Perhaps the most fun thing for me this year was enjoying the audience.  C. seemed to enjoy it more (he was less tired), and even took some pictures and videos.  And since I knew the show pretty well, I was able to pay attention to the other people around me.

Like the guys in front of me who knew when to “jump” during “Fat” or when to wave their arms during “Amish Paradise.”  My friend Marisa said that the person next to her recited all of the words to not only every song but also to every video skit that they showed.

I’m glad to see I’m  not that bad!

Al’s shows aren’t like other concerts where if you’ve seen it, there’s nothing new.  The whole thing is  spectacle.  From the costume changes, to the videos to the audience.  Like the families who all came wearing aluminum foil hats.

Or guy behind me, dressed as old school “Weird Al,” who sang along to all the words.

So even if you’ve seen Al before, he’s always fun to see again–especially now that he interacts with the audience so much more.  Like during “Yoda” when he asked us to sing the chorus and after the first time he angrily shouted “Do it BETTER!”

Even though I brought an album for him to sign, it was just too late n a Tuesday night to hang around after the show.  Plus, now that he has VIP tickets, those people get to stay for an official meet Al session and the rest of us are pretty out of luck.

However, Matt stayed the night at the Sands, and as we hung around the hotel some, we saw bassist Steve Jay, who smiled as he walked by.  (Jay has released several solo albums, as has guitarist Jim “Kimo” West who plays a lot of Hawaiian slack-key guitar music(!)).  Matt later met (in the elevator)the guy who comes on stage to hold Al’s harmonica (in a very funny bit during “Ode to a Superhero”) who seemed pleased to be recognized.  Although later that night he saw Al’s keyboardist Ruben Valtierra and asked for his autograph.  But evidently Ruben seemed annoyed and asked if Matt knew his name.  Well, he got the guys name wrong and Ruben stormed off.  What a jerk!  And he seems so funny on stage.

Well, regardless of that, we all had a good time.

And For some reason, many of pictures came out better this time too.  Yay!