WEIRD AL, PRINCE OF PARODY, CAN REALLY ROCK

By Karen Tayor Gist
Times-Picayune Staff Writer 
Published October 11, 2000

The fans were hardcore, waving arms above their heads, swaying to the music and
shouting out the words to favorite songs.  The light show could have been right
out of  "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," zillions of intense spots veering
out in all directions.  And the excellent sound system had the Saenger Theatre
rocking.

But this was no standard-issue concert; it was a multimedia performance with
its tongue planted firmly in its cheek.

Weird Al Yankovic, who has made a decades-long careeer of creating witty
parodies of popular rock songs, winning two Grammy Awards and garnering more
than 20 gold and platinum albums in the U.S. and Canada, was in the house last
weekend.  His tour for "Running With Scissors," his 10th studio album, brought
him to New Orleans for the first time.

The night got off to an awkward start when promoters pulled the opening act off
stage in mid routine, explaining that the local comedian's material was "a
little off" for the all-ages show.   Indeed, the audience seemed evenly split
between 10-to 14- year olds (and their accompanying adults) and
twenty-somethings.

But Weird Al came out strong, opening with "Gump," a "Forest Gump" takeoff on
the song "Lump" by the Presidents of the United States of America, and showing
off the exaggerated rock-star antics, high energy and physicality--in a later
number he stretched an ankle up behind his neck while seated, then stood up and
danced that way--that explain his success.  He's more than a guy who writes
off-the-wall lyrics to well-known melodies: He's a true entertainer and
musician.  Yup, Weird Al really rocks.

His accordian-fueled medley reinvented songs by the Spice Girls, Backstreet
Boys, Smash Mouth, Beastie Boys, Madonna, Third Eye Blind and others
polka-style, complete with a burst of bubbles onstage.  Louisiana may be one of
only a few states where the addition of an accordion didn't really seem that
weird: A couple of Cajun dancers got up to strut their stuff at the front of
the stage.

There was the spoof on Madonna's "Like a Virgin":  "Like a surgeon/cut for the
very first time.  Like a surgeon/Here's a waiver for you to sign."  Weird Al
hit on most of his hits: "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi," "Amish Paradise," "Smells
Like Nirvana," "Another One Rides the Bus," and the food-centric "Eat It," "I
Love Rocky Road," "Addicted to Spuds," and a paean to fast food for which we
can all thank Alanis Morrisette.

Songs were interspersed with short videos that were part hiliarious "Al TV"
interviews with rock icons (it's amazing what a little creative editing can do
to a real interview segment) and silly 50's style hygiene films with names like
"Be Nice to Your Teeth" and "What Are Germs."  (Answer: Many tiny, tiny
creatures that want to kill you.)

The hard-charging, two-hour show ended with a "Star Wars" double bill:  "Yoda"
and my personal favorite, "The Saga Begins," which reduces the whole story of
the over-hyped "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" movie to just a couple
of minutes and follows the sweet, sweet tune of "American Pie":  "My, my mister
Anakin guy/ May be Vader someday later/ Now he's just a small fry. Left his
home and kissed his mommy goodbye/ saying soon I'm gonna be a Jedi."  What's
not to love?
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