Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Weird Al Rocks My World

I spent this last weekend in Phoenix, acting as a bridesmaid for one of my close friends. I have to say, the entire weekend was fantastic, from the pool lounging to the completely not-horrible bridesmaid's dress (yes, they do exist) to the flawless ceremony and the marathon dance party afterward. But one of the highlights was definitely the bachelorette party where I, for the first time, saw Weird Al Yankovic in concert.

I'd been a sort of casual admirer of his songs for some time, but since I don't listen to a lot of popular music, the finer points of his parodies are usually lost on me. But Friday night I found a reason to fall in love with him.

The man is a dynamo. When he hits that stage he EXPLODES. The energy radiates off him in waves. And he loves his fans. That's evident not only from the way he sings and goofballs his heart out, but from the way he interacts with them. During one song, he gave up his mic to a girl wearing a chicken hat - clearly, he's more concerned with everybody having an awesome time than with making his own voice heard every minute.

Not to mention that he has fabulous hair.

The act of performance fascinates me. I hope to use my written words to entertain people, but Weird Al uses his whole body. Unlike a book, that you can access as long as the pages stick to the spine, a performance is an ephemeral thing (and no, recording it does not count. No video is the same as a live performance, which is why we still buy concert tickets), good for one night only. The actor or the singer puts her whole self into creating something that will be gone almost as soon as its born. And yet, live performance is an incredibly powerful thing.

Well, that's it. I feel like I should have some profound conclusion, but I don't. I'm just fascinated.

Cheers, all!

5 comments:

  1. That sounds like a WAY fun bachelorette party. Who needs a stripper when you have a fully-clothed man in a red-and-black tiger suit singing awful pickup lines?

    Weird Al does love his fans. All celebrities say they love their fans, but Al walks the walk. Several times when he's been on tour and had a long airport layover, he's posted an airport pay phone number on his Twitter account, then just answered calls from random fans & chatted with them.

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  2. I have his CD from the 90s-Bad Hair Day. Opening song was Amish Paradise and my friends and I used to sing it in the locker room. Brings back memories! I'm glad you had an awesome time.

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  3. I'm such a Weird Al fan girl. I'm looking forward to June 21st and the new album. :)

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  4. I've loved Weird Al since my high school days. I don't listen to much popular music either, but I thought the songs were hilarious. I'd love to see him in concert, it sounds like a blast!

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  5. I'm so glad you had such a good time! I'd like to think I threw the best/geekiest bachelorette party ever. ;)

    Also, Weird Al's new album is amazing...you don't have to follow the hits to get it either. And do yourself a favor and check out his Twitter account. It always splits my sides. :)

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