After his first successful outing with the "Ill-Advised Vanity Tour" in 2018, rock and roll comedy legend, Weird Al Yankovic (and his amazing backing band of 40 years), declared it was the most fun they'd had touring in a long time, so following the pandemic, they launched a second round of these special shows this year, focusing almost exclusively on Al's original songs and style-parodies from throughout his recording history rather than the successful hit singles, direct song parodies, and hilarious costume changes that are normally present at a Weird Al concert. While this iteration of the tour has run into a few bumps along the way (shows in Saginaw and Detroit had to be postponed in the spring when Yankovic tested positive for COVID, and long-time drummer, Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz is currently sidelined with the virus), these shows have been extremely well-received among Weird Al's most-dedicated, long-time fans, for whom they seem to be geared more than anyone. His visit to west Michigan last week to perform a sold-out show in Grand Rapids and a near sell-out Friday night at Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor were no exception.
As with the first "Ill-Advised" tour, veteran comedy great, Emo Phillips, opens each show with about 30-minutes of his odd-ball observations and deadpan commentaries. With only a short 15-minute set change, Yankovic and the band take the stage in the shadows and break into the opening number together as the stage lights first come on. Friday, the selection was "Lame Claim to Fame" from his most recent LP, 2014's Mandatory Fun, to the delight of the crowd. A lounge-y re-arrangement of "Dare to Be Stupid" followed, and Yankovic joked he and the band would be playing only lounge music the rest of the night ("We made no secret about this," he deadpanned). In spite of the name of the tour and the heavily-advertised theme of deep cuts instead of big hits, it was clear that at least a quarter of the audience was either unaware of that fact, expecting a traditional Weird Al show, or even if they were aware, they did not know many of the songs that were featured throughout the night. Hard core fans, on the other hand, sang along with each as one fan-favorite after another kept on coming. Tracks like the Dylanesque palindrome work-out, "Bob," the ska punk run through, "Your Horoscope for Today," and the satirical age-gap ranting of, "When I Was Your Age," all elicited laughter and applause, even if some were hearing the jokes for the first time.
The members of Yankovic's ace backing band continue to be unsung in the pages of rock history but cannot be undervalued, both on record and on stage, as they must constantly change style and sound from track to track and have been doing so longer than most active bands and artists have even existed. Guitarist, Jim West: bassist, Steve Jay; keyboardist, Ruben Valtierra; and absent drummer, Schwarz, continue to provide the musical bed for Yankovic's comical lyrics and cultural commentaries, and on this tour, that allows the set list to vary greatly every night, making the shows even more engaging to Al, the band, and to the audience alike. Schwarz' friend and drum tech filled in for him Friday night, and even his performance was nearly-perfect which must have been a relief to the band who otherwise would have had to cancel or postpone the show.
Some songs were presented with little introduction or commentary ("Close but No Cigar," "First World Problems," "Generic Blues") while others got comical stories prior to being performed ("One More Minute," "Let Me Be Your Hog," and "Skipper Dan"). The order of the songs also played well to their strengths, and no one tone was held for too long before changing to something different. The R.E.M pastiche, "Frank's 2000'' TV," gave way to Yankovic's ode to The White Stripes (and Match Game) on "CNR," then to the out-of-season holiday classic, "Christmas at Ground Zero," ahead of the zydeco romp, "My Baby's in Love with Eddie Vedder." His band's ability to change things up with ease also allows Yankovic to rotate through songs of similar lengths or topics from show to show. For example, he can choose from any of his beloved "long" songs (6 minutes or more), but changes which one will be featured each night (Benton Harbor was treated to an excellent rendition of "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota"). A tour of this kind also affords Yankovic the opportunity to perform a "straight" cover (using the original lyrics rather than re-writing them to be funny) of a song from any of his many favorite artists and influences from throughout rock history. One night may feature a song originally by Ramones, Violent Femmes, or Devo, while another includes a song by classic rock acts like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, or The Who? Friday night's audience got to hear a great take on Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer," both very engaging to all who knew the song while equally confusing to those who did not.
Finally, the Al and the band wrapped things up with a mostly acoustic/lounge-style medley of bits of some of his popular parody songs, so as not not leave them out entirely, such as "Amish Paradise," "Smells Like Nirvana," and "White & Nerdy," but unlike the first "Ill-advised" tour, the current medley is a bit shorter and no longer features the MTV Unplugged-style motif. The final portion of the medley, in which the band plays a verse and extended chorus from "Yoda" (his Kinks parody of "Lola," originally from the early '80s) and side-steps into an extremely complicated and well-rehearsed vocal freak-out, briefly tipping the hat to the insane genius of Spike Jones, got the loudest reception and the most singing along of the whole night. Overall, the show seemed to be a well-oiled machine, now rolling into its fifth month, and everything from the mix to the staging to the performance was extremely professional. While some may have left disappointed they didn't hear their favorite parodies or that the show was less-zany than usual, it's worth taking the time to appreciate Yankovic's many other hilarious songs as well, and for those who have followed his work for 30-40 years or more, this show was (and tour is) an absolute delight.
Weird Al Yankovic set list - 8/26/22 Benton Harbor:
Lame Claim to Fame
Dare to Be Stupid (lounge)
Bob
Your Horoscope for Today
Don't Download This Song
(drum solo) (mini-jam)
When I Was Your Age
U-H-F
Frank's 2000'' TV
Let Me Be Your Hog
Close but No Cigar
One More Minute
CNR
(bass solo) (mini-jam)
First World Problems
Christmas at Ground Zero
Generic Blues
My Baby's in Love with Eddie Vedder
Skipper Dan
The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota
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Psycho Killer (Talking Heads)
Lounge/Acoustic Medley: Amish Paradise/Smells Like Nirvana/White & Nerdy/Word Crimes/Yoda
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