LIVE REVIEW: “Weird Al” Yankovic in Providence, RI (07.14.26)
On a humid Tuesday evening in Providence, Rhode Island, “Weird Al” Yankovic brought his “Bigger & Weirder Tour” to the Providence Performing Arts Center, performing a variety of originals, songs he made for movies and television, his most iconic parodies, and a polka medley that showcased just how unique and enduring his catalog has become.
To start this off, I just wanted to state how “Weird Al” has always been on my bucket list for artists I had wanted to see live one day, so when I had found out that Al was coming to town, I knew I had to end up going. And walking into the venue before the show even began, I instantly knew it would be a night I would remember years from now. The vibe from the audience filling in seats created an electric rumble—a mix of nostalgia, fun, and just pure weirdness! And that remained throughout the set of the solo act Puddles Pity Party, Yankovic’s opening act for this tour.
Puddles, whose real name is Mike Geier, walked onto the stage with his iconic clown outfit and delivered a surprising performance that connected with the corny humor of “Weird Al.” And although I had only heard of him from his recent collaboration with Primus on their cover of “Holy Diver” by Dio, I never expected such an incredible opening set.
Other than performing two original songs, Puddles sang “Stairway To Gilligan’s Island” (a humorous homage to the Led Zeppelin classic) and a few covers like “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” and “Under Pressure.” But what was probably the best part of the set was his choice to include the audience in his show. With a mashup of “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne and “Message In A Bottle” by the Police, Puddles brought up a young fan in the crowd to jam the guitar. And although the “guitar” was just a piece of cardboard shaped like a real one, the kid rocked out, and it ended off Puddles’ set perfectly. Next came “Weird Al”, and every sense of calmness had disappeared.
“Weird Al” Yankovic started his career in 1976 at the age of 16, where one of his comedy songs aired on the Dr. Demento Radio Show, and has since been one of the biggest parody artists in the world. Throughout the years, Al has been best known for performing comical songs that parody other songs, while also writing original songs that are in the style of work from other acts and creating polka medleys of popular songs which feature his iconic accordion.
Today, Al’s band includes founding members Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz (drums and percussion), Jim “Kimo” West (guitar and mandolin), Steve Jay (bass and banjo), and then Rubén Valtierra (piano and keyboards), a member since 1991. However, just for this tour, Al decided to add four more members just so the songs sound like the actual record. They include Probyn Gregory (trumpet, trombone, and guitar), Scheila Gonzalez (saxophone and clarinet), Payton Velligan (guitar and percussion), and Monique Donnelly (keyboards).
As the lights slowly dimmed low, followed by a humorous intro video of Yankovic as Godzilla, the band kicked into “Tacky,” Al’s parody of “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. Starting the show with this song felt surprising—yet odd—at best, but it showed how unpredictable the show would be. Following that song came “Polkamania,” a newer medley with snippets of “Hello” by Adele, “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, “Shape Of You” by Ed Sheeran, and a dozen more. And during the snippets, it was nice to just look around and see the youth recognizing each song as it came along.
During his 2023 tour, named the “Unfortunate Return of The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent Ill-Advised Vanity Tour,” Al decided to get his most famous song parodies and exchange them for deep cuts and originals, while this concert tour was a return to his classic formula of his hit song parodies with multiple costume changes. And considering I had never seen Al before, I wondered how they would fill the time during each costume change. Well, the large video screen played plenty of video interludes that included clips from his most famous pop culture references in shows like The Simpsons, Scooby Doo, King of the Hill, and also plenty of fake and unexpected celebrity interviews. These videos made the costume change downtime fly by and it definitely helped pace the show properly.
Coming back to the stage, Al was dressed as Kurt Cobain, performing “Smells Like Nirvana,” a parody for “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” However, it wasn’t just Al who got to dress up. The entire band got involved, with the girls dressing up as cheerleaders with red pompoms, and guitarist Probyn Gregory dressed as the janitor with a mop in hand—just like Nirvana’s music video. Immediately following this was another full band costume change for the Devo spoof “Dare to Be Stupid” complete with yellow hazmat jumpsuits and red energy domes for all members on stage.
Next, Al returned with a medley of some of his biggest parody songs: “Party In The CIA,” “Bedrock Anthem,” “My Bologna” (my personal favorite), “Ode to a Superhero,” “I Love Rocky Road,” “Eat It,” “Like A Surgeon,” “Word Crimes,” and “Canadian Idiot.” This medley felt like perfect mix of new and old songs by him, and surprised the audience as each one came along.
But overall, there’s no artist like Al, because even during the middle of the show, nobody gets bored or tired. Because every song is a hit. The pacing is just incredible. Right when things got nostalgic with a humorous version of “eBay,” they slammed right into “White & Nerdy,” a song which was about how Al can’t “roll with the gangstas” because he is “just too white and nerdy.”
Finally came the encore, with “Amish Paradise” (probably one of his most-listened-to songs), and “Yoda.” And even after hearing the two songs constantly, they always hit the perfect spot in my heart. I mean, even the crowd knew every word! But overall, leaving the show felt interesting. I never had the opportunity to see Al perform at his peak. But after seeing this lineup three times, I quickly realized, as I left the show on Saturday night, this tour is bigger and weirder than anything on the touring circuit!
Featured image by: Sam Jones
