“Weird” Al Yankovic
Last night I finally got to do something that I’ve been waiting years to do. No, not that. I went to see “Weird” Al Yankovic in concert.
Having been a fan for many years (I somehow appear to have all his albums) I’ve contemplated visiting the US to see him as he has never toured in the UK or in Europe. However it’s not really practical to pay close to a thousand pounds to go to a concert. So when he announced back in June that he was going to play in London in December I had to gets me a ticket.
So last night me and the wife rocked up to the HMV Forum in Kentish Town to see him play his first ever London concert (he’d done Birmingham and Manchester the previous couple of days).
It didn’t get off to the best of starts though, as a technical problem caused them to abandon the first song of the evening, a polka version of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face after only two drum beats. It took them about 4 or five minutes for them to sort it and they decided to skip the song altogether. Ditching the accordion, the band launched into Frank’s 2000″ TV and the place started rocking.
Interspersed between the songs (while Al and the band change costumes) were clips from Al TV. These are interviews that Al has with other celebrities including Jessica ‘Sampson’ Michael Stipe, Celine Dion and Eminem, and are created by taking existing interview footage and adding in Al asking the questions, with funny results.
Al ran through the set list (see below) that songs such as Smells Like Nirvana, Canadian Idiot and You’re Pitiful and he even came wandering into the crowd during Wanna B Ur Lovr. He ended the show with his Gangsta’s Paradise, Ridin’ Dirty and Bad parodies before returning to do an encore of his two Star Wars songs.
It was a cracking concert and although it would have been nice to have heard a new song (the technical fault at the beginning of the night put paid to that) it was great to be able to sing along all night!
The set list in full:
Frank’s 2000″ TV
You Don’t Love Me Anymore
Smells Like Nirvana
Skipper Dan
You’re Pitiful
Dare To Be Stupid
CNR
Let Me Be Your Hog
Canadian Idiot
Wanna B Ur Lovr
Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies/Whatever You Like/Confessions Part III/eBay/Bedrock Anthem/Another One Rides the Bus/Ode to a Superhero/Trapped In The Drive-Thru/Gump/Eat It (a medley)
Craigslist
Amish Paradise
White & Nerdy
Fat
Encore:
We All Have Cell Phones
The Saga Begins
Yoda
