Weird Al
When I was a kid, I remember driving by the Wildwood Convention Hall in New Jersey and seeing a marquee off the boardwalk that read “Weird Al.” This was 1996; I didn’t make it to that concert, but I did get to know his music through his many albums over the years after. 30 years later I finally got to witness and luckily photograph a Weird Al show at the infamous PNC Bank Center in Holmdel, NJ.
To say Weird Al is impactful and influential to my life is an understatement. Sure, he's goofy and of course he's Weird but AL continues to embrace his strangeness with an abundance of musical energy and seemingly eternal youth. From the album Bad Hair Day, "Amish Paradise" is one of the first songs I bought on CD as a kid and it remained in my 6-disc changer for many, many spins. I highly recommend going to a show on the "Bigger & Weirder" tour for some great music and more importantly, great laughs.
Weird Al started the concert from outside the venue from his tour bus live streaming to the big screens in the venue. He appeared on side stage after decking his opening act Puddles Pity Party with a whipped cream pie backstage. He emerged in the audience as the band played on, a fun way to start the show. The first 5 songs flew by and then it was time to start shooting songs 6,7, and 8. All the photographers had free range of any aisle in the venue which really was a great opportunity to get the shots. The first song I captured was “Smells like Nirvana” which is a parody of some band from Seattle some people may have heard of. The last bit of the song Al gargles with water in his mouth and then throws the cup of water into the crowd, I was at point blank range but got a cool photo!
“Dare to be stupid” kicked off with the band wearing the signature DEVO hats and mimicking robot movements. The lighting on stage was so good and the sound on stage was that of decades in experience.
It wouldn’t be a Weird Al concert without accordion-led polka, and the band delivered big time with a medley and wardrobe changes between each song. Collectively the band banged out Party in the CIA/Pentiums/Bedrock Anthem/My Bologna/Ricky/Ode to a superhero/ I Love Rocky Road/Eat It/Like a Surgeon/Word Crimes and Canadian Idiot which ended with cannons of red and white streamers shot into the crowd.
1. Tacky
2. Mission Statement
3. Polkamania!
4. Everything You Know is Wrong
5. One More Minute
6. Another One Rides The Bus – Video
7. Smells Like Nirvana
8. Dare to be stupid
9. Party in the CIA/ It’s all about the Pentiums/bedrock anthem/my bologna/Ricky/ode to a superhero/I love rocky road/Eat It/ Like a Surgeon/ Word Crimes/ Canadian Idiot
10. Fat
11. It’s My World
12. Captain Underpants Theme
13. Now You Know
14. You Can Call me Al
15. Skipper Dan
16. eBay
17. Stop Forwarding That crap to Me
18. White & Nerdy
19. Amish Paradise
20. We All Have Cellphones
21. The Saga Begins
22. Charge
23. Yoda
