weird al tour uk

'Weird Al' Yankovic Announces U.K. Tour Dates

Tickets go on sale on Friday 11th November at 10 am.

AEG Presents is pleased to announce that "Weird Al" Yankovic will be touring the UK in February 2023 with 'The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour'. Tickets go on sale on Friday 11th November at 10 am and are available here .

As part of his world tour, "Weird Al" will be returning to the UK for a highly anticipated limited run. Al and his band will be eschewing their usual high-octane theatrics (no costumes, no props, no video screens) in favour of playing deep cuts and fan-favourite originals rather than his classic parodies.

Because of the no-frills, bare-bones nature of this show, Yankovic will be performing in more intimate theatres and settings in the UK. Opening the show each night will be Al's long-time friend (and The Vidiot From UHF co-star), the legendary comedian Emo Philips.

"Weird Al" Yankovic is the biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time. His last release Mandatory Fun (2014) was the first comedy album in history to debut at #1 on Billboard's Top 200. In November 2017, Legacy Recordings released the career-spanning Squeeze Box: The Complete Recordings of "Weird Al" Yankovic, including all 14 of his studio albums re-mastered for vinyl and CD format, plus a rarities album and 120-page book of photos from the archives, all housed in a replica of his signature accordion. The project earned Yankovic his fifth Grammy Award.

On Friday, Nov. 4, The Roku Channel released WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY (the totally 100% true not-at-all-made-up story of the greatest musical artist in history, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al) in North America and the UK.

All UK dates for The 'Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour' are listed below. Tickets will go on sale at 10:00 AM local time Thursday, Friday, November 11 - check your local venue's listing.

"Weird Al" Yankovic said: "I don't very often get an opportunity to tour outside of North America, so it's a huge thrill for me to come back to the UK and play a bunch of songs that most people would rather not hear."

12/02/23 - GLASGOW - O2 Academy

13/02/23 - MANCHESTER - O2 Apollo

14/02/23 - BIRMINGHAM - O2 Academy

16/02/23 - LONDON - London Palladium

UK Regional SHOWS

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Past Events

Here are the most recent UK tour dates we had listed for 'Weird Al' Yankovic. Were you there?

• Feb 16 2023 London Palladium 'Weird Al' Yankovic
• Feb 14 2023 O2 Academy Birmingham 'Weird Al' Yankovic
• Feb 13 2023 O2 Apollo Manchester 'Weird Al' Yankovic
• Feb 12 2023 O2 Academy Glasgow 'Weird Al' Yankovic
• Jan 31 2021 Online / Streaming Events Festpocalypse! 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Fred Armisen, Jon Hamm, Eddie Izzard
• Oct 09 2015 Glasgow, The ABC 'Weird Al' Yankovic
• Oct 07 2015 Belfast, The Limelight 'Weird Al' Yankovic
• Oct 06 2015 Dublin, Vicar Street 'Weird Al' Yankovic
• Oct 04 2015 London, Eventim Apollo 'Weird Al' Yankovic
• Oct 03 2015 O2 Academy Birmingham 'Weird Al' Yankovic

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“weird al” yankovic to tour.

“Weird Al” Yankovic will be touring the UK in February 2023 with ‘ The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour’ . Tickets go on sale on Friday 11th November at 10 am at  https://www.aegpresents.co.uk/weird-al

As part of his world tour, “Weird Al” will be returning to the UK for a highly anticipated limited run. Al and his band will be eschewing their usual high-octane theatrics (no costumes, no props, no video screens) in favour of playing deep cuts and fan-favourite originals rather than his classic parodies. Because of the no-frills, bare-bones nature of this show, Yankovic will be performing in more intimate theatres and settings in the UK. Opening the show each night will be Al’s long-time friend (and  The Vidiot From UHF  co-star), the legendary comedian Emo Philips.

“Weird Al” Yankovic is the biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time. His last release  Mandatory Fun  (2014) was the first comedy album in history to debut at #1 on  Billboard’s  Top 200. In November 2017, Legacy Recordings released the career-spanning  Squeeze Box: The Complete Recordings of “Weird Al” Yankovic , including all 14 of his studio albums re-mastered for vinyl and CD format, plus a rarities album and 120-page book of photos from the archives, all housed in a replica of his signature accordion. The project earned Yankovic his fifth Grammy Award.

On Friday, Nov. 4, The Roku Channel released  WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY  (the totally 100% true not-at-all-made-up story of the greatest musical artist in history, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al) in North America and the UK.

All UK dates for  The ‘Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour’  are listed below. Tickets will go on sale at 10:00 AM local time Thursday, Friday, November 11 – check your local venue’s listing.

“Weird Al” Yankovic said :  “I don’t very often get an opportunity to tour outside of North America, so it’s a huge thrill for me to come back to the UK and play a bunch of songs that most people would rather not hear.”

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"Weird Al" Yankovic will return to the UK and Ireland early in 2023.

The song parody king will bring The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour to Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London, where he'll play the Palladium on February 16.

Tickets for the UK dates go on general sale at 10am on November 11, though Dublin goes live at 9am. In late October, he wrapped up the North American leg of the tour at New York City's legendary venue Carnegie Hall.

The trek is a follow-up to the format of Yankovic's 2018 Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour, and his website states that the shows will comprise mostly of original, non-parody songs.

In related news, Daniel Radcliffe recently portrayed the iconic artist in the 2022 film Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

NEW // Grammy-winning comedy musician @alyankovic is bringing The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour to the UK and Ireland in February! Grab your tickets from 10am Friday (9am for Dublin) 👉 https://t.co/eOGDJ0I2R3 pic.twitter.com/EnpjHNA3MI — Stereoboard (@stereoboard) November 7, 2022

Weird Al Yankovic Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows

Fri February 10 2023 - DUBLIN Helix Sun February 12 2023 - GLASGOW O2 Academy Glasgow Mon February 13 2023 - MANCHESTER O2 Apollo Tue February 14 2023 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham Thu February 16 2023 - LONDON Palladium

Compare & Buy Weird Al Yankovic Tickets at Stereoboard.com.

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Weird Al Yankovic Tour Dates

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How to get Weird Al Yankovic tickets today in the UK

Weird Al is departing on a UK tour soon. Here's how to get tickets.

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Weird Al Yankovic is embarking on a four-date UK tour in 2023. Want tickets? Here's how to get yours today.

Real name Alfred Matthew, the US musical-comedy star is best known for parody tracks like White and Nerdy, Amish Paradise and Fat — as well as a new feature film.

He's amassed fans around the world thanks to his ability to turn popular songs into laugh-out-loud parodies and now, UK fans are getting a chance to see him live and in the flesh in 2023 as he departs on the interestingly titled Unfortunate Return of the Ill-Advised Vanity Tour.

Buy Weird Al UK tour tickets at Ticketmaster

Weird Al's first taste of fame came as a child when, in 1976, South Carolina radio personality Dr Memento played his song Belvedere Cruisin' after a young Weird Al passed it to him during a school visit.

More like this

More recently, Weird Al has been brought back into the spotlight by an off-beat largely fictional biopic film, which stars Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al. The RadioTimes.com team gave the film three stars in our full review of Weird: The Weird Al Yankovic Story .

Read on for the latest advice on grabbing tickets to Weird Al's UK tour.

When is the Weird Al UK tour?

The tour is set to take place in February of next year, with Weird Al performing live at four UK venues. Check out the full list below.

12th February — O2 Academy Glasgow

13th February — O2 Apollo Manchester

14th February — O2 Academy Birmingham

16th February — The London Paladium

When do tickets for the Weird Al UK tour go on sale?

Today, O2 presales are already live and running as we speak. So, if you're an eligible O2 customer you'll be able to beat the Ticketmaster queue and grab tickets.

Otherwise, you'll need to hang on for the general sale, which starts this Friday 11th November at 10am.

How to get tickets for the Weird Al UK tour

The most important advice for bagging tickets is pretty simple — head onto the Ticketmaster site before the sale goes live. This will bag you a better place in the queue.

Of course, if you have access to a presale then that's an even better way! Happy ticket hunting.

For more from RadioTimes.com , head over to our Going Out section. We've got everything from recommendations on the best West End shows to tips on how to get cheap Alton Tower tickets .

If you're looking forward to the show and want to listen to some of your favourite Weird Al tracks beforehand, maybe you're looking for some great audio gear recommendations? Take a look at our best wireless earbuds page or — for more affordable options — our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds .

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‘Weird Al’ Yankovic returns to the UK

AEG Presents is pleased to announce that   “Weird Al” Yankovic will be touring the UK in February 2023 with ‘ The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour’ . Tickets go on sale on Friday 11 th  November at 10 am and are available from  https://www.aegpresents.co.uk/weird-al

As part of his world tour, “Weird Al” will be returning to the UK for a highly anticipated limited run. Al and his band will be eschewing their usual high-octane theatrics (no costumes, no props, no video screens) in favour of playing deep cuts and fan-favourite originals rather than his classic parodies. Because of the no-frills, bare-bones nature of this show, Yankovic will be performing in more intimate theatres and settings in the UK. Opening the show each night will be Al’s long-time friend (and  The Vidiot From UHF  co-star), the legendary comedian Emo Philips.

“Weird Al” Yankovic is the biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time. His last release  Mandatory Fun  (2014) was the first comedy album in history to debut at #1 on  Billboard’s  Top 200. In November 2017, Legacy Recordings released the career-spanning  Squeeze Box: The Complete Recordings of “Weird Al” Yankovic , including all 14 of his studio albums re-mastered for vinyl and CD format, plus a rarities album and 120-page book of photos from the archives, all housed in a replica of his signature accordion. The project earned Yankovic his fifth Grammy Award.

On Friday, Nov. 4, The Roku Channel released  WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY  (the totally 100% true not-at-all-made-up story of the greatest musical artist in history, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al) in North America and the UK.

All UK dates for  The ‘Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour’  are listed below. Tickets will go on sale at 10:00 AM local time Thursday, Friday, November 11 – check your local venue’s listing.

“Weird Al” Yankovic said :  “I don’t very often get an opportunity to tour outside of North America, so it’s a huge thrill for me to come back to the UK and play a bunch of songs that most people would rather not hear.”

FEBRUARY 2023

DATE                             LOCATION                   VENUE

12/02/23                      GLASGOW                   O2 Academy

13/02/23                      MANCHESTER              O2 Apollo

14/02/23                      BIRMINGHAM              O2 Academy

16/02/23                      LONDON                     London Palladium

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Weird Al Yankovic interview: The prince of parody's world tour comes to Britain

Weird al yankovic has become a comedy phenomenon with musical spoofs of miley cyrus, pharrell and more. as his world tour comes to britain, he tells alice jones he loves poking fun at the inner circle, article bookmarked.

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Is Weird Al Yankovic a superstar? Well, he is probably the only 55-year-old nerd in poodle curls and a Hawaiian shirt who can hold aloft an accordion, rock-god style, and be greeted by screams from women and hollers of "We love you, Al!" from grown men. And this is in Las Vegas on a Friday night, with Britney Spears playing the arena next door.

Certainly, Yankovic is a phenomenon. He has sold over 12 million albums and won four Grammys for his pop song parodies such as "Eat It" – Michael Jackson's "Beat It" with lyrics about finishing one's dinner – and "Amish Paradise" – a spoof on Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise". ("And I've been milkin' and ploughin' so long that/ Even Ezekiel thinks that my mind is gone.") In American culture he is a perennial, peculiar touchstone, popping up everywhere from Scooby-Doo to Friends, The Simpsons to Veep. Chamillionaire, whose "Ridin'" was spoofed by Yankovic in his platinum-selling "White and Nerdy" ("They see me mowin'/ My front lawn…"), thanked the parody for helping him to win a Grammy. "Because it made the record so big it was undeniable. It was so big overseas people were telling me they had heard my version of Weird Al's song."

Last year, Yankovic's 14th studio album, Mandatory Fun, became the first by a comedian to go to No 1 on the Billboard charts since Allan Sherman's My Son, the Nut in 1963. One track, "Word Crimes", an attack on sloppy grammar set to "Blurred Lines", also made the singles chart, making him only the third artist to have a Top 40 hit in each of the last four decades. The other two are Michael Jackson and Madonna.

So yes, Weird Al is, weirdly, a superstar. "That's the irony of my career," he says the morning after the premiere of his new world tour in Las Vegas. He is wearing jeans, Vans trainers and a canary-yellow CIA T-shirt, a look that clashes with the plush purple carpets, black walls and chandeliers of the high-roller suite at Planet Hollywood where he is currently staying. "I've always considered myself an outsider, poking fun at the people in the inner circle. And now, after all this time, I've acquired enough fame that I feel like I'm in the inner circle with the people I'm making fun of. So it's kinda strange."

The Mandatory world tour lands in the UK next week and will see Yankovic and band perform old favourites like "Eat It" and "Smells like Nirvana" ("What is this song/ All about/ Can't figure any/ Lyrics out") alongside more recent hits like Iggy Azalea's "Fancy", retooled as "Handy", a hymn to DIY, "Word Crimes" and Miley Cyrus done polka-style on an accordion. There are daft costumes throughout, from an upside down ice-cream cone for Lady Gaga, to a fat suit for his take on Michael Jackson's "Bad", "Fat". "I like to say I have three more costume changes than Lady Gaga", he says, with a high-pitched giggle.

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On the night I saw the show, the audience ranged from children to pensioners, and they all sang along to every word. "I think I appeal to the 12-year old boy in people", says Yankovic, who has an adolescent air himself and seems barely to have aged in three decades. It is good, clean, daft fun – no smut, no swearing. "It's an extension of my personality. I don't even use profanity in everyday life and I wouldn't put it in a song. It's the way I was raised. When I first started recording things, I didn't want to do anything that my parents would find offensive."

Albert Yankovic grew up in Lynwood, a suburb of Los Angeles. When he was seven years old his parents enrolled him in accordion lessons. He is still not sure why but thinks they may have been inspired by the polka player, Frankie Yankovic (no relation) who was somewhat famous at the time.

They were a close, "perfectly happy", family but in 2004, tragedy struck when Yankovic's parents were found dead at home, from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. "It was the most horrific moment of my life," he says. He was in the middle of a tour at the time and refused to cancel a single gig. "I'm a show-must-go-on type of person. I was going through a tragedy but I didn't want to stop the train because there were so many people counting on me. Even though it was extremely hard for me to do, I got up on stage every night for two hours and did a comedy show. During those two hours I was in complete denial. And in a way it was cathartic, it kind of got me through it. A lot of people over the years tell me that my music has gotten them through some very difficult times in their life and I thought, well maybe my music can do the same thing for me."

It's a tale that indicates a steeliness behind the silliness. But then Yankovic has been in showbiz since he was 16 years old when he sent a homemade tape into Dr Demento's radio show and got on air. He went on to study architecture at university but spent most of his time playing accordion in coffee houses and DJing on the college radio station, under the name Weird Al. "Probably when people were calling me weird at first, it wasn't in the kindest way," he says with his trademark chirpiness. "But I decided to take it on and be proud of my weirdness."

In his senior year, The Knack's "My Sharona" was riding high in the charts so Yankovic recorded his own version, "My Bologna", in the toilets at the radio station. Dr Demento played it, The Knack's lead singer heard it and told his label to release it. And so the parodies proper began.

How does he come up with them? "It's pretty rare that I'll spontaneously have a brilliant idea for something. It's happened maybe three times," he giggles. "More often than not, it's a very analytical process. I'm ostensibly doing all this silly stuff but I'm very serious about the craft of it."

As soon as he has a song in his sights, he asks permission from the artist. "I don't want to spend weeks of my life working on something only to find out that that artist has no sense of humour." Not everyone gets Weird Al. Prince stopped taking his calls back in the Nineties. Eminem said no to a video in case it harmed his rep. Coolio was furious about "Amish Paradise" (but finally admitted it was "funny as shit"). And then there was the time Paul McCartney said no to his version of "Live and Let Die", or "Chicken Pot Pie."

"He said 'If you could make it about anything other than chicken, great, but I'm a strict vegetarian and I don't want to condone the eating of animal flesh…' I couldn't figure out any other way to make it work, so I just let it go."

Most artists consider a Weird Al parody a badge of honour. "Lady Gaga called it a rite of passage," he says proudly. Not one person turned him down for his last album and he has some friends in high places. Mark Knopfler plays on "Money for Nothing/ Beverly Hillbillies*". It was Madonna who suggested "Like a Surgeon" as a fun parody of "Like a Virgin". And Michael Jackson allowed him to use his own film set to shoot "Fat". He must be quite the charmer. "Here's the thing. Pretty much all my humour is not mean-spirited," says Yankovic. "My parodies are all done in good fun. I don't try to step on anybody's toes, I'm not denigrating any artist, I'm not out for blood, I'm just out to have a good time. I like to say that it's more a poke in the ribs than a kick in the butt."

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Yankovic is that he has endured. These days, anyone can make a music parody and put it online within hours of the song being released – and many do. So Yankovic decided to play them at their own game. When his record label told him there was no marketing budget for Mandatory Fun, he decided to do a Beyoncé – and release eight songs and videos online in eight days. His genius stroke was to partner with various websites, who got online exclusives in return for their support. His parody of Pharrell's "Happy" – "Tacky" – went to Nerdist, Lorde spoof "Foil" to CollegeHumor, "Word Crimes" to Vevo and so on. "I started thinking, I don't need a hit single, what I need is to dominate the conversation for a week. I need to be omnipresent on the internet for the entire week of release."

He was and it worked but he remains pessimistic about the record business. Mandatory Fun is the biggest album of his career. "It's huge but it has not even gone gold. It's tough. I don't want to be complaining. I've got a nice career, a nice life and I'm doing just fine, thank you. But I'm not making the kind of money that some people might think I'm making." His next step is likely to be a Broadway musical. "This is probably going to be my last conventional album, which sounds kind of insane after having my first No 1. The material that I do has to be timely and topical and that's difficult if you have to wait around to get 12 songs released all at once."

He lives in LA with his wife, Suzanne, a former executive at 20th Century Fox and their daughter, Nina, who is 12 and learning the accordion. "I love that she doesn't follow the crowd, she's her own thinker. You never know what's going to rub off. A couple of years ago all of her friends in school were obsessed with One Direction. She said, 'Yeah they're OK but I like Glen Campbell'. Wow! That's random." It is, he says, "a pretty quiet, non-weird family life", though they do have a second home in Maui that they escape to when possible.

Does it feel odd to have hit the big time in his fifties? "I would have loved it in my twenties, thirties or forties, of course, but having it at this point in my career is extremely gratifying. A lot of the people who have been in the business for 30-plus years are nostalgia acts. They're not peaking. It makes it that much sweeter."

Weird Al Mandatory World Tour, Birmingham 02, 3 October; London Eventim Apollo, 4 October; Glasgow 02 ABC, 9 October

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“Weird Al” Yankovich (born October 23, 1959) is a singer, songwriter, musician and foremost contributor to musical parody since Allan Sherman, hailing from Lynwood, California, U.S.

Yankovich’s earliest musical excursion came aged seven when he began playing the accordion in the wake of un-related polka star Frank Yankovich. Inspired by the comedic, musical delivery of the likes of Dr. Demento, Allan Sherman, Spike Jones, and Tom Lehrer, Yankovich gave a demo of his to Dr. Demento aged just 13. Three years later the musician made his radio debut on the Dr. Demento show with the single “Belvedere Cruising”, and found favour with the show’s fan base.

In 1979 after graduating from high school and enrolling at California Polytechnic State University to study architecture, Yankovich adopted the nickname “Weird Al”, and crafted the parodic track “My Bologna” inspired my the Knack’s hit single “My Sharona”. The Knack were so impressed by the satirical take of their song, they asked their label Capitol to issue it as a single, introducing “Weird Al” to a much wider audience. A year later after graduating from university, Yankovich released the song “Another One Rides the Bus” in a comedic remake of the famous Queen song “Another One Bites the Dust”. The song became an underground hit and led to the song “I Love Rocky Road”, a take on Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ hit “I Love Rock ’n Roll”.

Yankovich signed to Scotti Brothers in 1983, who issued the parodic musician’s debut album ““Weird Al” Yankovich” featuring the single “Ricky”, which became a staple on the growing MTV network. Yankovich’s use of the music video medium, unlike the likes of Spike Jones and Allan Sherman, allowed the musician an extra means of satire-infused communication. The parodist soon became known for his Hawaiian shirts, frizzy hair and goofy persona, later mocking the Michael Jackson video “Beat It” scene-for-scene in his Grammy-award winning remake “Eat It”.

Yankovich went on to release the parodies “King of Suede”, “I Lost on Jeopardy”, and “Polkas on 45”, before releasing the full-length “Dare to Be Stupid” in 1986. The album went gold like its predecessor, was the first comedy album to be released on compact disc, and featured the single “Like a Surgeon” – a take on Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”. The musician’s subsequent album “Polka Party!” failed to achieve success unlike its platinum-selling successor “Even Worse” in 1988. The album which is in large part a satirical take on Michael Jackson’s hit “Bad”, saw Yankovich portrayed as a overweight tough guy and earned the parodist his second Grammy Award.

Yankovich kept a low profile for a number of years before returning in 1992 with the album “Off the Deep End”, which notably features the single “Smells Like Nirvana”. 1996 brought the subsequent album “Bad Hair Day” which spawned the singer’s most popular release to date, the single “Amish Paradise” in response to Coolio’s hit single “Gangsta’s Paradise”. The musician went on to release a string of albums into the new millennium including “Running with Scissors” in 1999, “Poodle Hat” in 2003, “Straight Outta Lynwood” in 2006, and “Alpocalypse” in 2011. Yankovich’s 14th studio album “Mandatory Fun” was promoted with eight video prior to its release and became the first comedy album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2014.

Live reviews

There is no one quite as hilarious to see live as Weird Al Yancovic. He will be sure to keep you rolling on the floor with laughter with his parody songs and crazy theatrical stage antics. Weird Al is a fun performer for all generations to see. He will keep the older audiences laughing with his renditions of Michael Jackson parodies such as “Fat” and “Eat It”, and he will keep the younger generations entertained with his side splitting hilarious parody of Pharrell Williams’ song, “Happy”, which is titled “Tacky”. Even though Weird Al recycles the same kind of formula in his parodies, his music is always relevant due to his keen observations on current pop culture, and the wacky absurdities of his songs, no matter how nonsensical they might be, can only make one laugh. His newer albums even contain songs that make references to older styles of music that will please his fans that don’t keep up with recent pop radio. His newest album contains a song in the musical style of the Pixies, and his previous album had a song in the musical style of The Doors labeled “Craigslist”.

During his performances Weird Al is known to play on his accordion, an instrument that he is quite talented at playing. His accordion is heavily featured on various songs including “Angry White Boy Polka”, which is a song consisting of a medley of different parodies. He has also been known to perform on other outlandish instruments such as a keytar, when playing parodies of 80’s music. Weird Al always dresses appropriately and obnoxiously for each song he is parodying. When performing the song “Fat” you will see him perform the song in a fat suit, and in the song “White and Nerdy” you will see him dressed in nerdy, gangster attire.

Weird Al is sure to perform his old and new material that will please all of his fans, and every word that comes out of his mouth is ensured to be presented in a way that will keep the audience laughing out of their seats.

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Humourist "Weird Al" Yankovic is a musician it is hard to grow tired of. His silliness doesn't get too overbearing, because it's always well-crafted, intelligently detailed and… well, funny.

"Weird Al" is a legitimately great comedian, so it's no surprise that he's been popular since the eighties, and, as a man in his fifties, still manages to get a buzz going among 20-somethings with his new project.

That project constitutes Weird Al releasing a brand new parody music video every day for eight days, with star-studded videos that satirise your least detested pop songs. Pharrell's "Happy" becomes "Tacky" in Weird Al's hands. Lorde's "Royals" becomes "Foil", an ode to aluminium.

It might be Weird Al's irreverence that makes him such an appealing comedian, and gives his oddness a certain coolness. Kurt Cobain adored Weird Al's parody video 'Smells like Nirvana', and his other fans include rock and roll royalty Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) and even the late King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. Songwriter Don McLean loved Yankovic's rewriting of his classic song 'American Pie' into 'The Saga Begins', an epic 1st. person account of Obi Wan Kenobi's experience with a young Darth Vader, as seen in the movie 'The Phantom Menace'. What really makes this parody song great is that it matches the complicated rhythm and rhyming scheme of McClean's original, line for line. With an artist as clever as Yankovic, you can be in no doubt that the live show is an awesome experience, or in Yankovic's own words, "a rock and comedy multimedia extravaganza." Expect production values, costume changes, video screens and general mayhem. The show is full of clever touches, like Al's ever changing T shirt slogan, as he strips off gradually to a performance of the James Blunt inspired 'You're Pitiful'. I'm in no position to guarantee that you'll have a great time, but I guarantee, go to a Weird Al show and you'll have a great time.

As I write this review, comedy legend ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic has finally, at the fourteenth time of asking, achieved a number one record in the U.S., with Mandatory Fun. The album, which marks the end of a mammoth, twelve-album contract that he’s been tied to for over thirty years, proves beyond doubt that his appetite for satire and parody remains as sharp as ever, with Iggy Azalea, Lorde, Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke amongst the artists on the receiving end of the dubious honour of getting the ‘Weird Al’ treatment. He’s continuing to tour at a prodigious rate, too, with his extensive Alpocalypse run documented on DVD three years ago. Late last year, he played a slew of shows across America, which saw him run through classics from ‘his’ considerable back catalogue; whilst tracks like ‘White and Nerdy’ and ‘Eat It’ may have dated a little in terms of their cultural references, there was also plenty of evidence that he remains ahead of the curve, with ‘TMZ’ sending up the trashy gossip site of the same name. He hasn’t played in the UK since late 2010, but new dates should follow soon now that the album’s out; it could be your last chance to catch him, too, with the end of his contract sparking rumours of retirement.

I had been wanting to see Weird Al live since I was 9 years old singing along to "Yoda" on my boom box and when the stars finally aligned he played mostly songs that I had never heard before. Granted, I was listening to other stuff during high school and college so missed most of these original songs when they were released. So this was my first time hearing "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota", "Close but no Cigar", "Albuquerque", and many more and they were fabulous. I have since gone and searched out all of these "new-to-me" songs and can honestly say that the live performance was superior in every single instance. Al's mature voice is much more resonate and his band is tight. The lighting techs also earned every penny for their fabulous production. This was hands down one of the top 10 concert experiences I have had with one band and a set list under 2 hours. The medley of parody covers set to different music and musical styles was even better than his polka mixes; and I love those accordion fests!

Let me just start off by saying this concert was amazing. The concert began with a short animation segment giving the title and everything for the concert, and then on the screen live footage began streaming of Weird LA himself coming down the hall singing. As he danced down the hall singing his first song, he interacted with employees, and people in the hall as he went. He came out and jumped on stage for the last few verses on the song and then transitioned in to the next few songs. He performed great, and he was very detailed. Between almost every song he changed costumes and during his absence, clips were played on the screen of different appearances on TV shows, or references that had been made to him. All in all, this was an amazing concert and this being my first concert, I was very impressed.

This was a great and very entertaining preformance. This was also the first concert I have ever been to and I enjoyed it a lot. I love the song choices "Weird Al" had for us too, it was all of his classic songs/most popular or common songs. I only wish he had sung his "Living in the Fridge" song since the shirt theme for that concert performance was for that song. I also wish that he had sung "Melanie" because my name is Melanie and hoped hed asked for all the Melanies in the crowd to come up on stage as he sang the song. Other than those small minor things it was the best concert ever and I will not forget about it for as long as I live. LOVE YA "WEIRD AL."

Had a great time at the the Weird Al show. This was the second time I've seen him and the show was basically the same, but there was some new footage in the gag reels. The sound system did not work very well during his opening number, "Tacky", as he came from behind the stage area. Camera footage was off a bit as well then. But, it did not do anything to impact the rest of the show and everything else was perfect. Definitely a fun and entertaining show--loved it!

Outstanding! I found his energy level very exhilarating, especially considering his mid-life age. My wife and I found Weird Al's entire two hr. show extremely entertaining! His different acts required many costume changes and reminded me of a type of show I'd expect had he been in residency at a large Las Vegas, NV casino/resort.

Weird Al Yankovic had the best concert I have ever seen!!! He performed songs old and new. His Tacky entrance and Star Wars ending were what every fan was waiting for. It was a top of the class, number one show. I would not have missed it for the world!!! (Sorry for any Word Crimes)

Sarah Faith/Saran Fate

Weird Al was awesome! Everything you expected and more! Costume changing and great videos that have anything and everything to do with Weird Al!! What a legend! I would have gone the next day if I could!! Filled my phone's storage with pictures and videos! Great show, I love you Weird Al!

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‘Weird’ Al Yankovic announces UK and Ireland live dates

Gigs will be part of spoof artist's Mandatory World Tour

‘Weird’ Al Yankovic has announced live dates in the UK and Ireland as part of his Mandatory World Tour.

Yankovich will appear at the Eventim Apollo in London on October 4 and again in Dublin on October 6. These dates follow a lengthy run in America as well as European gigs in Sweden, Denmark, Holland and Belgium. A full list of gigs can be found here .

The record gave him his first ever US Number One Album in a 30-plus year career. It contained parodies of Iggy Azalea’s ‘Fancy’ (‘Handy’), Lorde’s ‘Royals’ (‘Foil’), Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ (‘Word Crimes’) and Pharrell Williams’ ‘Happy’ (‘Tacky’).

BLOG: ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic: The Timeless Genius Of Music Comedy’s ‘Novelty Dinosaur’

All of the artists spoofed on the album gave permission to do so. Yankovic told NME : “I ask permission from every artist to parody their song. Legally I don’t have to but I want them to be in on the joke, not just to turn on the radio one day and be like, ‘What?'”

He added: “I’ve asked Prince several times, he’s the only one to turn me down! All throughout the ’80s I asked him – I had ideas for ‘Kiss’ and ‘When Doves Cry’ but his management turned me down every time. I still hold out hope – if he had another big hit of course I’d want to do my own version.”

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‘Weird’ Al Yankovic will play:

London Eventim Apollo (October 4) Dublin Vicar Street (6)

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“Weird Al” Yankovic

FINAL CURTAIN CALL This show is no longer running.

THE UNFORTUNATE RETURN OF THE RIDICULOUSLY SELF-INDULGENT, ILL-ADVISED VANITY TOUR

“Weird Al” Yankovic burst onto the scene over four decades ago and never looked back. Making his first concert excursion across international waters in over eight years, the world’s foremost musical satirist and five-time Grammy-winner along with his original band of four decades foregoes his usual high-octane, big-production show with   The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour , an intimate evening of musical comedy focusing on original (non-parody) fan favorites from his 14-album catalogue. The tour marks Weird Al’s long-anticipated return to the world stage after his many sold-out North American tours, where he has performed at such iconic venues as Radio City Music Hall and Forest Hills Stadium, and most recently at The Kennedy Center in Washington DC and New York City’s Carnegie Hall. This tour is a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with this legendary performer.

Opening the show is Al’s long-time friend, the legendary comedian Emo Philips.

“Weird Al” Yankovic is the biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time. A five-time Grammy winner, his 2014 release  Mandatory Fun  was the first comedy album in history to debut at #1 on  Billboard’s  Top 200. He is one of only three artists to have had their own Top 40 singles in each of the last four decades, the other two being Michael Jackson and Madonna. On August 27, 2018 the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce awarded Weird Al with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Emo Philips has performed over 7000 stand-up comedy shows across the globe, including a two-week theater run in London’s West End. Career highlights include his acclaimed comedy album E=MO Squared and the hour-long HBO special Emo Philips Live at the Hasty Pudding Theatre. Emo is especially proud, however, of when he got to demonstrate the proper use of a table saw to Weird Al in the film  The Vidiot From UHF .

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TIMES 19:00 Doors 19:45 Emo Phillips 20:15 Interval 20:35 “Weird Al” Yankovic 22:15 Show ends

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Weird Al Yankovic will return to UK next year with ‘ill-advised’ tour off the back of biopic success

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Weird Al Yankovic has announced he’s adding UK dates to his world tour next year.

The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour will be landing on British soil in February 2023 for a limited run of shows across the country.

Beginning in Glasgow, fans of the artist’s wacky ways can then catch his music ringing through Manchester , Birmingham and London for a total of four dates.

Leaving the jokes at the door, this tour’s announcement came with it a promise to rid the setlist of his usual parodies for deep cuts and fan-favourite originals.

Taking the stage in a host of intimate theatres, Al has settled for the no-frills approach this time and is offering fans a chance to see his bare-bones – musically speaking.

Touring with friend Emo Philips, the actor and stand-up comedian will open each show and warm up the crowd for an evening of nostalgia.

Speaking on his upcoming return to the UK, the comedy recording artist said: ‘I don’t very often get an opportunity to tour outside of North America, so it’s a huge thrill for me to come back to the UK and play a bunch of songs that most people would rather not hear.’

After making history for the first comedy album to debut at number one, his last release in 2014, Mandatory Fun, landed on Billboard’s Top 200 chart.

Adding to his collection of Grammys, he picked up his fifth in 2017 for Squeeze Box: The Complete Recordings of Weird Al Yankovic which featured a remastering of all 14 studio albums for vinyl and CD format.

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Paying homage to his extraordinary life, The Roku Channel recently released his biopic that surprisingly featured Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe in the lead role.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story hit screens earlier this month and made clear the scripting was less of an accurate historical account and more poking fun at the weird and wonderful nature of Al.

Admitting his fears ahead of taking on the portrayal of the 6ft singer, Daniel gave a 5ft 5in effort and agreed to do the project after learning of his girlfriend’s Al fandom.

Tour tickets are due to go on sale Friday, November 11 at 10 am.

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Qatari Manchester United bid complains about ‘false’ statements by Ratcliffe and club

On February 21, Sir Jim Ratcliffe held court with journalists for the first time since the British billionaire acquired a 27.7 per cent stake in Manchester United in a deal worth more than $1.3billion (£1.03bn at current rates).

It followed an arduous struggle for Ratcliffe, whose company INEOS saw off competition from Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the son of a former Qatari prime minister, to wrestle control of football operations at Old Trafford. The Qatari bid sought to acquire 100 per cent of Manchester United and did not bend on this insistence.

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When one journalist invited to INEOS’ London HQ suggested the bid fronted by Jassim had been “very odd” and that the sheikh had been an unfamiliar name to many, Ratcliffe quipped: “Still nobody’s ever seen him, actually. The Glazers (the family that owns Manchester United) never met him… he never… I’m not sure he exists!”

Ratcliffe also appeared to confirm that the Qatari bid had failed to produce proof of funds. This had first been implied by Manchester United’s filings to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in January 2024 following the completion of Ratcliffe’s deal. Ratcliffe also said, “Yes, that is correct,” when a journalist suggested the Qataris had exaggerated the size of their bid.

To many, the long-running saga of Manchester United’s strategic review — launched in November 2022 to consider options “including new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the company” — appeared to be over. And Ratcliffe seemed to be having the last laugh.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Man United, Old Trafford, Sheikh Jassim and Mason Greenwood: Full transcript

However, The Athletic can reveal that legal representatives of Sheikh Jassim and his Nine Two Foundation (the vehicle established to bid for United) have sent legal letters to United lawyers in New York City and London to complain about “a pattern of demonstrably false and defamatory” statements made by Ratcliffe about their attempt to buy the club, which they call “Project Ruby”. They also demand “immediate corrective action” be made to the club’s SEC filings and accuse Ratcliffe of making comments in his interview in February that represented a breach of the confidentiality agreement signed by all parties concerning the sales process.

The complaint symbolises the intense frustration that developed among Sheikh Jassim’s team as they struggled to establish clarity as to what exactly the Glazers were seeking to achieve via their strategic review, with uncertainty throughout as to whether the family were ever truly united on the prospect of letting go of the Premier League team.

The Qataris were first moved to complain after United submitted their schedule filing to the SEC on January 17, 2024, which essentially represented an account of the chain of events that led to Ratcliffe taking a stake in the club . United are obliged to do this because the club is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In this filing, United stated that the Sheikh Jassim bid repeatedly failed to produce “customary financing commitment letters”, which was almost universally interpreted in media reports to mean that the bid failed to demonstrate proof of funds.

A legal letter was sent to Manchester United’s lawyers on January 24, 2024, in which representatives of the Qataris insisted the filing had created a “misleading” impression and made a request for “immediate corrective action”. This demand has not been fulfilled.

The Qataris argue in their correspondence that the Nine Two Foundation provided “definitive” proof of funds via a demand guarantee from Qatar National Bank (QNB). The Athletic has seen evidence that a senior executive from QNB wrote to United to confirm the ability of the Nine Two Foundation to fund the purchase of the club and clear the club’s debts, which still stand at more than £650million despite Ratcliffe clearing £120million off the bill in March .

QNB, established in 1964, describes itself as the biggest bank in Qatar and “the largest financial institution in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region”, with total assets of more than $300billion. United, the Qatari bid and QNB exchanged mark-ups of the guarantee in the final days of June 2023 and during the first fortnight of July. The Qataris appear to believe United ought to have included these details in their recounting of the takeover process.

Qatar ’s legal correspondence says that the Nine Two Foundation made its fifth formal offer for United on June 1, 2023. This represented a bid of $5.072bn to buy out the club’s shareholders and a further $731million to clear the debt, bringing together an enterprise of value of $5.8billion. They also say they pledged to invest a further $1.3billion into Manchester United, which they argue brought the overall transaction consideration beyond $7billion.

This is why they seem to have been irked by Ratcliffe appearing to concur with a journalist that their bid had not been as high as suggested. The June 1 bid followed previous bids on February 17, March 24, April 28 and May 16, but there was exasperation among the Qatari bid that, because of their extreme wealth, there was an unreasonable expectation they would hit numbers that no other bidder had approached for a full sale of United.

Sources familiar with the discussions, who wish to remain anonymous because they are not authorised to speak publicly on the matter, also say the Qataris made further increases in verbal discussions and that the bid received the impression — but never formally in writing — that they had achieved preferred bidder status.

Manchester United declined to comment on that suggestion, but the club’s SEC filings stated the refusal to provide the customary financing commitment letter to be a stumbling block. Additionally, the club’s board wanted Sheikh Jassim’s bid to provide the same “per-share consideration” for the club’s Class A shareholders as that of Class B shareholders. The Class B shares hold 10 times the voting rights of Class A shares, so are the key to making decisions at United, while only Class A shares are traded on the market. The SEC filings say Sheikh Jassim was not prepared to do this, while Ratcliffe’s eventual stake saw both sets of shareholders treated equally, although the British investor, too, had reservations about this earlier on.

As for the matter of the existence of Sheikh Jassim, which appeared to be a line delivered in jest by Ratcliffe, this matter was addressed by Joe Ravitch, the co-founder of Raine Group, the merchant bank that marketed and brokered United’s strategic review.

In an interview with The Times of London in March, Ravitch said: “We met Jassim. He was in New York. He’s a lovely guy; a very smart guy. The Qataris were very real. They were very smart guys, very thoughtful. I don’t know why they didn’t appreciate the value (of the club) but we were not their adviser.

“We tried as the seller to explain the value to them, and they put what they thought was a series of very serious bids on the table.”

The Qataris’ legal representatives say in their correspondence to United that Sheikh Jassim met in person with Joel and Avram Glazer on July 26, 2023 — which contradicts Ratcliffe’s claim that the sheikh never met the Glazers.

Sheikh Jassim did remain incredibly private throughout the process. He has not spoken to any media and he was even reluctant to allow the public relations firm promoting his bid to use photographs of himself, or confirm even the simplest of details about his life.

Speaking to The Athletic in Doha last month, Nasser Al Khori, a director of Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy of the World Cup, said: “There was positive news that the deal was going through and then it just collapsed. So everybody was a bit shocked and kind of disappointed. There is a huge (Manchester United) fanbase here — including me. People are sad it didn’t go through.

“The deal from our perspective, that was on the table, was the best for the club to continue and to expand and to grow. For the Glazers, it was just a business deal. They didn’t really care about the club, which is unfortunate as the club has so much history and then it just comes to numbers. They took a loan and they bought the club — so the whole thing was just a bit weird.”

The Qataris sign off their most recent correspondence to United by demanding the club and Ratcliffe stop this pattern of “demonstrably false” statements, while saying they are still exploring all legal remedies and they have instructed United and Ratcliffe to preserve all documents regarding their client in relation to the transaction and the matters raised in their complaint.

Representatives of Sheikh Jassim and Manchester United declined to comment. An SEC spokesperson declined to comment when asked if a formal complaint had been made against United.

Additional contributor: Adam Leventhal

(Top photos: Credit Suisse; design: Eamonn Dalton)

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