Weird Al Yankovic takes Grammy-winning parodies on the road
Armed with a new Grammy trophy, musical satirist Weird Al Yankovic gets back on the tour trail this spring.
Yankovic's outing kicks off in late March and dates so far are set into early May. Tickets for a number of shows are on sale now.
"Poodle Hat," Yankovic's latest album, surfaced last May. On Sunday (2/8), the album won the Grammy award for Best Comedy Album of 2003, marking Yankovic's third Grammy win; his 1984 parody of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" (titled "Eat It") won for Best Comedy Recording, and his 1988 spoof of Jackson's "Bad" (titled "Fat") won for Best Concept Video.
On "Poodle Hat," Yankovic reworked cuts from artists including Eminem, Avril Lavigne and Nelly. The album also includes parodies of Backstreet Boys and Billy Joel songs, as well as the accordion medley "Angry White Boy Polka," which targets The White Stripes and Rage Against the Machine, among others.
In addition to comedic covers, "Poodle Hat" also includes the original compositions "Hardware Store," "Party at the Leper Colony," "Wanna B Ur Lovr," "Why Does this Always Happen to Me" (which features a guest performance by Ben Folds), "Bob" (an homage to Dylan) and "Genius in France" (a 9-minute tribute to Frank Zappa featuring a guitar cameo by Zappa's son Dweezil).
In November, Yankovic issued "The Ultimate Video Collection," which features all 24 music videos that he's made over the years. The DVD includes a photo gallery, on-screen lyrics and 5.1 Surround Sound, according to Yankovic's website.
Yankovic had planned to release a video for the "Poodle Hat" cut "Couch Potato," a parody of the Eminem hit "Lose Yourself," but the Detroit rapper put the kibosh on the plan, according to Yankovic, who explained the situation to liveDaily during a recent interview.
"It was very disappointing, but I'm thankful that [Eminem] let me do the song," he said. "It was really a drag that I wasn't going to be able to do a video for it, because that was going to be our big video for this album. We were in pre-production, it was going to be a very ambitious undertaking, and we got the phone call too late in the game to be able to switch gears and start working on a different video. So as it turns out, there's no video for this album. It's still doing quite well, but I'm sure it would have done better had there been a nice video for it."
March 2004
24 - Akron, OH - Akron Civic Theatre
25 - Champaign, IL - Virginia Theatre
26 - Jackson, MI - Jackson Community College
27 - Glen Ellyn, IL - College of DuPage
28 - Joliet, IL - Rialto Square Theatre
30 - Tiffin, OH - Ritz Theatre
31 - Columbus, OH - Mershon Auditorium
April 2004
1 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre
2 - Iowa City, IA - Hancher Auditorium
3 - Evansville, IN - Evansville Auditorium & Convention
7 - Peoria, IL - Civic Theater
8 - Mount Pleasant, MI - Soaring Eagle Casino
9 - Appleton, WI - Fox Cities Performing Arts Center
10 - Mankato, MN - Midwest Wireless Civic Center
12 - Grand Forks, ND - Chester Fritz Auditorium
13 - Sioux Falls, SD - Washington Pavilion
14 - Topeka, KS - Performing Arts Center
15 - Springfield, IL - Sangamon Auditorium
17 - Mashantucket, CT - Foxwoods Casino
18 - Erie, PA - Warner Theatre
23 - Gulfport, MS - Grand Casino Gulfport
24 - Robinsonville, MS - Grand Casino Tunica
25 - Baton Rouge, LA - The CentroPlex Theatre
29 - Melbourne, FL - Maxwell C. King Center
30 - Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre
May 2004
1 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
2 - Pompano Beach, FL - Pompano Beach Amphitheatre
September 2004
20 - Puyallup, WA - Western Washington Fair
25 - Yakima, WA - Central Washington State Fair
Al Fest celebrates all things Yankovic [May 2009]
Weird Al spoofs T.I.'s 'Whatever You Like' [October 2008]
LiveDaily News Break, March 13: Alanis Morissette, Jason Mraz, Alan Jackson and more [March 2008]
'Weird Al' Yankovic expands 'Lynwood' trek [May 2008]
'Weird Al' Yankovic gets back to 'Lynwood' this summer [March 2008]
'Weird Al' goes live with his 'White & Nerdy' self [February 2007]



































