There’s no other musician working today who’s enjoyed the longevity, relevance-wise, of “Weird Al” Yankovic, the singular parodist who’s been at the top of his genre for the better part of four decades – which is even more amazing when you think about the generations of stars that have come and gone while Al’s breezed by them, his ubiquitous Hawaiian shirts whistling in the wind.
His two nights at the Hollywood Bowl this weekend, billed as “Al Takes The Bowl,” found the L.A.-based Yankovic backed by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the first time in memory he’s played (at least locally) with more than his stalwart four-piece band; for longtime acolytes, it seemed like both an odd fit and an opportunity for Yankovic to have some fun with traditionalists.
Surely Yankovic – a musical genius, even as he’s made his reputation with song-length jokes that are enraptured in stupidity – knows the Bowl’s reputation, which made fans giddy with anticipation for these two shows: Would he take over the conductor’s’ podium from the Bowl’s Thomas Wilkins, obviously a good sport for agreeing to take on this challenge in the first place? Would Yankovic write a one-off parody of “Canon in D” for the occasion? Perhaps he’d drastically rearrange his own hits or dig into his back catalog: this reviewer, for one, was hoping for a string-quartet-led version of “The Biggest Ball of Twine In Minnesota,” a childhood favorite from the soundtrack album to Yankovic’s classic cult comedy, “UHF.”
Unfortunately on Friday night at the first of two concerts, none of these predictions came true, nor, in retrospect, was there a real sense of “specialness” to the show in general. That’s not to say the evening wasn’t wholly entertaining: Yankovic’s a consummate performer and is nothing less than dedicated, and he deserves credit for having the orchestra and its dozens of members play along to his entire set, rather than just a few songs as some rock bands who’ve borrowed the Bowl’s players over the years have done.
But instead of re-interpretations or in-on-the-joke gags, playing with the orchestra felt like an opportunity lost: sure, “Foil,” Yankovic’s take off on Lourde’s “Royals,” swelled with organic string sounds rather than synthesized ones, and when, towards the end of the night, Yankovic presented a suite of songs referencing “Star Wars,” the orchestra played John Williams’ instantly-recognizable score to introduce them.
But overall, the show felt like any other “Weird Al” show, albeit one with many, many more musicians onstage; those in the audience at Yankovic’s last tour stop in L.A., which was almost exactly one year ago at the Greek, may have even felt a sense of schticky déjà vu as Yankovic (hilariously, but still) turned on a “serious” note, playing a medley of acoustic versions of “Eat It” (set to the tune of “Layla”), “I Lost on Jeopardy”, “I Love Rocky Road,” and “Like A Surgeon” – exactly the same way, and in exactly the same order, as he had a year ago, just sweetened by extraneous horns and strings. “Fat,” “Smells Like Nirvana,” “White And Nerdy” – the hits were there, with a bit more “bigness,” but no unexpected surprises.
Of course, any show like Yankovic’s, which contains multiple costume changes and a ton of pre-recorded bits, has to repeat from city to city, and, as always, every song’s delivery was a fun, committed take-off of the original, with fans of all ages loving the punchlines they’ve learned while singing along for years. But Yankovic’s sense of humor was underused here, in a setting where his absurdity should have been amplified rather than stymied. It’s almost as if the punchline was assumed to be the show itself, which is a shame and isn’t Yankovic’s M.O. – if you’re going to dare to be stupid, it’s always best if you go all the way, even if that means you may fall on your face.
Which, let’s be honest, is always hilarious, too.
