OT: Weird Al Yankovic in concert

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 I just wrapped up yet another weekend in Calgary. It ended with my sister, brother and me attending a Weird Al Yankovic concert at the Jack Singer Hall on the evening of July 6.

It was the third time seeing Weird Al in concert and this show was markedly different than the other two times I saw him - Calgary in 1996 and Ottawa in August of 2007. Those shows featured plenty of theatrics, clips from his movie UHF and televised faux interviews with other famous musicians, and a cornucopia of costume changes. At one point in the Calgary show, Al cavorted around the stage with one ankle behind his neck.

But this most recent show was a more stripped down affair. It was just Al and his band onstage, sitting down for the entire performance. No parodies either. Not an Eat it or a Fat or an Amish Paradise to be heard. This show focused on his original material, songs that were style pastiches rather than direct parodies. There was lots of material from in 1984 offering, In 3D, and I was delighted to see that my sister, brother, and I all knew the words to Midnight Star. We sang along happily.

At the end of the show, my brother opined that Weird Al's refusal to do parodies was motivated by commerce, arguing that Weird Al had to pay a royalty every time he played such a song in concert. His insistence on playing only original material guaranteed that he got more of the gate.

I countered that his decision might have been an artistic one. Maybe, in his latter years, he wants to build a legacy as an original songwriter, not as a copycat.

My sister, ever the peacemaker, suggested that it could be a mixture of both.

Strangely enough, Yankovic closed his show with a straight cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama. Some simple Internet research tells me he has also done covers of Sunshine of your Love, Honky Tonk Women, and Blue Suede Shoes.

I like Weird Al Yankovic a lot. He has been a huge influence on my style, even as a magician. But I felt a little sad as I left his concert. I couldn't help but wonder if he feels trapped by his own persona. I'm sure he has a serious side that a few people get to see, but the general public would never accept it because he is, after all, the weird one.

I doubt I will ever get the chance to see him in concert again. But man oh man, would I ever love to have an hour-long conversation with that cat.

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