Indulging In The Ridiculous

Weird Al Yankovic and Emo Philips

The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour
American Music Theatre - Lancaster, PA
I've been a Weird Al fan for as long as I've known what music was.  One of the 45 records that was in the box that my mother gave to me before I had even started kindergarten included a Weird Al single for Eat It, with That Boy Could Dance as the B-side.  As I got older, I listened to more of his catalog.  I still remember swimming with my stepsister in her grandparent's pool and listening to her cousin's Weird Al cassettes.

The first of album of his that I bought for myself was Off The Deep End when I was 11 years old.  I played that cassette until the sound warped, and I thought the original songs, like Trigger Happy and I Was Only Kidding, were even funnier than the parodies that he's best known for.  Later on, when I bought his older albums on CD, I found the same thing.  I enjoyed the parodies, but I liked his non-parody comedy music even more.  When I learned that he was doing a tour that was largely centered around this part of his catalog, I knew I couldn't pass it up.

The show began with a performance from stand-up comedian Emo Philips, who was hysterically funny.  I know him mostly from his performance in UHF, but I've also heard a few of his albums and I enjoyed them very much.  He's a very talented and funny comedian with a unique style.  I'm very glad I got to see him.

Weird Al concerts are known for their wacky, over-the-top presentation filled with video screens, props and multiple costume changes throughout the show.  In contrast, The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour was advertised as informal and low key, taking cues from the stage setup of MTV Unplugged.  The show was exactly that, but it certainly wasn't as quiet as an Unplugged show.  He began with the You Don't Love Me Anymore, which is musically calm despite the zany lyrics.  After that, it was time to buckle up after that as he screamed his way through the 12 minute long insanity of Albuquerque.  

He performed a medley of some of his best known parody songs at the end of the show (including Amish Paradise, complete with a shout out to Lancaster).  For an encore, he did a straight cover of Hello There by Cheap Trick before finishing the night with his epic American Pie/Star Wars mash up, The Saga Begins.  Aside from these three, all of the other songs he performed were original comedy songs that rarely get the attention they deserve.  It was a great show and a very fun night.

I didn't go to this show expecting to buy a t-shirt from the tour, but how could I pass this up?