The King Of Parody did not disappoint in Philadelphia when “Weird Al” Yankovic stopped by the Mann Center For The Performing Arts on his Bigger & Weirder 2025 Tour. The energy and costume changes were impressive, but the concert was also a reminder that “Weird Al” is not just an artist who crafts new lyrics to other musician’s songs.
The evening began with a set from Puddles Pity Party, a perfect appetizer to put the crowd in the mood for the musically whacky feast to come. Puddles (a.k.a. Michael Geier) is now based in Atlanta, but he was born in Philadelphia, and at 6’8”, he has a voice as big as he is. From filming the crowd with a cell phone to inviting some of them onstage (to dress them as a tequila bottle or have them play a cardboard electric guitar), Puddles pulled the audience into his set.
After a short break, there was a little technical difficulty as Yankovic’s opening number, “Tacky,” was cut short. After that, he strung together original songs that proved that Al’s history is so much more than being a genius word crafter. “Mission Statement,” “Everything You Know Is Wrong,” “One More Minute” and “Polkamania!” are original songs in styles of music that range from polka to folk to They Might Be Giants.
What came next was an explosion of costume changes that helped parody Nirvana (“Smells Like Nirvana”), Devo (“Dare To Be Stupid”) and a medley that included quick clothing switches for “Party In The CIA,” “It’s All About The Pentiums,” “Bedrock Anthem,” “My Bologna,” “Ricky,” “Ode To A Superhero,” “I Love Rocky Road,” “Eat It,” “Like A Surgeon,” “Word Crimes” and “Canadian Idiot.”
Al continued with a string of originals and parodies including “Fat,”“Captain Underpants Theme Song” and “Now You Know”.
The only straight-up cover was when Al joked about people being nervous when they meet him, because they don’t know what to call him. His response was a faithful version of Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al.”
Eventually, Al said good night to the audience. But where were the Star Wars parodies? The crowd was not done and yelled “One more” and “Weird Al” until the band came out along with storm troopers and Darth Vadar. The encore consisted of “Cell Phones,” “The Saga Begins” (during which the sound cut out for a line or two, but the audience filled in as if on cue and a wonderful organic moment occurred) and “Yoda.”
I’ve seen “Weird Al” about five or six times, including at Red Rocks and the Ryman Auditorium, but this was one of my favorites. Hopefully, it isn’t the last.
—words and photos by Eric Ring
