"Yankovic is a god" - Waldo Butters

Okay, he may not be a god, but I'm willing to accept an avatar of a very twisted musical god who likes food, loud shirts and accordions.  Yes, I'm talking "Weird Al" Yankovic.  Last night he performed at the Verizon Theater in Grand Prairie and the hubby took me as part of my birthday present.  Now I have been a fan of this man since his very first performance on The Dr. Demento Show back in 1979.  Rock and Roll accordion?  Yeah, I'm in.  I've only seen him live once before (about 20ish years ago), but it was an incredible show, so I was really jazzed to be going again.

So, the show.

We sat down between a early 20 something couple and an older gentleman who looked rode hard and put away wet.  The male of the youngsters had Weird Al albums as a child, but hadn't heard any of his newer stuff.  The girl had never heard him, but came because the guy invited her.  I let them know it would be a good show.  The older gentleman (and I say older in relation to the youngsters, he was probably about my age) had, like me, been a fan from the beginning.  And these seats?  Row H, front and center.  I had a great view of my favorite madman.  Weird Al started the show exactly at 8:00.  (Jimmy Buffet is the only other performer who I've known to start at the time the ticket listed.  I approve.)  They started with the polka medley from the new album - Polka Face.  Boom! Energy.  He was playing an electric accordion of all things (I didn't even know Roland made electric accordions).  The song ended and he ran offstage.  Up comes a video - an interview from Al TV.  Video ends and here he and the band are now dressed as Nirvana.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  We lost count, but it came out to about 15 full costume changes and 5 or 6 partial costume changes.  During the actual changing he'd run clips from Al TV, The Weird Al Show or cultural references to himself in various TV shows and movies.  HELL of a show.  Aside from the electric accordion, he played a regular one (you can see it in the video below), 2 different keyboards and a harmonica (complete with bored looking roadie holding it for him during the harmonica solos in "Ode to a Super Hero").  During "Wanna B Ur Lovr" (a song that is composed almost completely of bad pickup lines) he actually walked around the audience and sang to various women (and one man).  At one point I was about 3 feet away from him.  (Yes, I squeed.)  Of course he was singing to the young girl that we were sitting next to, but she was right on the aisle, so I can't fault him there.  After nearly 2 hours of this, they said goodnight.  We waited patiently (if you can call chanting his name and clapping patient) and the band then came out in Star Wars get up.  Along with a chorus line of Stormtroopers and Darth Vader.  Weird Al then sang "The Saga Begins" and "Yoda" to wrap up the night.  I was quite pleased.  And very pleased that he mixed in a good bit of his older stuff along with the songs from the new album. 

So, here's the song that started him on his looooong career as the worlds number one weirdo:

And here's what he's doing now:

Yeah, he's still a god.