REVIEW: "Weird Al" Yankovic Gets Bigger and Weirder at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
- Mikey Smith
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
The comedic singer/songwriter continues to take his performances to the next level in Alpharetta
It’s been over a decade since I first saw “Weird Al” Yankovic in concert. Sitting down in Jacksonville’s Florida Theatre for the opening leg of The Mandatory World Tour, I was stunned by Yankovic’s high-energy, constantly-entertaining, absurdist masterpiece of a live show. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. And 11 years later, he’s still got it.
Weird Al and his first-class band recently stopped through Alpharetta’s Ameris Bank Amphitheatre on the 90-city second leg of his “Bigger and Weirder” tour. With a packed show full of dedicated fans and a setlist spanning the hits of his nearly 50-year career, the parodyist maintains his silly yet professional persona on his most expansive tour to date.
For context, this was my fifth time seeing Yankovic live, and I wasn’t alone in my repeat viewing. While many fans were there for their first taste of his uniquely theatrical tours, a good portion of the audience was there for their second, third, or tenth show. Spread out across the amphitheater in Hawaiian shirts and various tour t-shirts dating back to the 80s, it was awesome to see the love people share for Al’s work.
ATL’s own Puddles Pity Party opened the show, a legendary live act who has been touring with Weird Al since the tour started last year. The only other time I’d see an opener on one of Al’s tours was Emo Phillips’ standup set on the “Ridiculously Self-Indulgent Ill-Advised Vanity Tour” and its subsequent “Unfortunate Return” in 2022. Puddles fit right at home, though, and bent the rules of what a live show could be with hilarious crowd interactions and excellent usage of props and screens.
Not too long after, Weird Al hit the stage, opening with his 2014 spin on Pharrell’s “Happy” titled “Tacky.” The legendary comedy singer/songwriter then played a handful of originals including the fan-favorite They Might Be Giants pastiche “Everything You Know is Wrong,” the 50s-inspired doo-wop anthem “One More Minute” (Al along with getting up-close and personal with the crowd during this one, much to the chagrin of unsuspecting fans), and his newest polka medley “Polkamania!”
The next few tracks featured some of Al’s most iconic looks and parodies from his lengthy discography. His classic Cobain-esque “Smells Like Nirvana” outfit made a return, complete with the music video’s cheerleaders and janitor onstage. Yankovic also brought back his Devo-themed original “Dare To Be Stupid” before heading into a back-to-back onslaught of parodies including “Party in the CIA,” “Canadian Idiot,” and all-timer “Eat It.” To close out this segment of the night, he appeared in his biggest costume yet (no pun intended) for the long-awaited return of “Fat.”
The rest of the evening featured a mix of deep cuts and tour staples such as “White and Nerdy,” “Skipper Dan,” and the theme to 2017’s Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie. He was also joined by Puddles Pity Party for a cover of “Happy Together” by The Turtles. Closing things out with 1996’s “Amish Paradise,” Yankovic paid homage to James Brown in his band introductions and stage exit. As he left, Al’s fans launched into a standing ovation, begging for more—it was breathtaking, to say the least.
However, the night was far from over. In full Star Wars attire, Weird Al and co. returned with “We All Have Cellphones,” coined by R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe in a classic ALTV interview. Following with two galactic classics (“The Saga Begins” and “Yoda”), longtime fans were more than familiar with Al’s infamous multi-minute “Yoda Chant” which is always a joy to see expanded and varied every tour.
It’s impossible to leave a Weird Al Yankovic show without a smile. If I could follow any tour in the style of dedicated Grateful Dead or Phish fans, it would be Al’s. I left it my fifth Weird Al show in the same way I left my first, second, third, and fourth: immediately brainstorming how I could see him again.
Article and photos by Mikey Smith. Please credit @mts2.photo or @art.seen.atl if reposting on social media.
