“Weird Al” Yankovic in Puyallup

By Christine Mitchell on September 22, 2015@Housetornado37

Weird Al Yankovic at Puyallup Fair (Photo: Alex Crick)

“Weird Al” Yankovic took over the Washington State Fair in Puyallup last week, performing in his decades-proven style, spoofing popular hits that now span around thirty five years of musical hilarity. And Yankovic shows no signs of slowing down, with nearly every song on the set list warranting a wardrobe and set change. Add to that the sheer hilarity and spectacle of Yankovic rocketing into the air while wearing a fat suit for, well, “Fat” (a reworking of Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’), and you’ve got yourself one heck of a show. SMI contributor Alex Crick was on hand to capture the action.

Set List:
1. Tacky
2. Lame Claim to Fame
3. Now That’s What I Call Polka!
4. Perform This Way
5. Dare to be Stupid
6. Fat
7. First World Problems
8. Foil
9. Smells Like Nirvana
10. (Medley) Party in the CIA/It’s All About the Pentiums/Handy/Bedrock Anthem/Another One Rides The Bus/Ode to a Superhero/ Gump/ Inactive/ eBay/ Canadian Idiot
11. Wanna B Ur Lovr
12. (Acoustic Medley) Eat It (to the tune of “Layla”)/ I Lost on Jeopardy/ I Love Rocky Road/ Like a Surgeon
13. White & Nerdy
14. Word Crimes
15. Amish Paradise
Encore:
16. The Saga Begins
17. Yoda

Christine Mitchell has been poring over album liner notes pretty much since she acquired the skill of reading, and figured out the basic structure of rock songs at an early age. Whether it’s the needle popping into the first groove of the record, the beeps that signal the beginning (or end) of a cassette tape, or digital numbers ticking off the seconds from zero, music brings Christine happiness, ponderous thought, opportunities for almost scientific study, and sometimes a few tears. When she started attending live shows two decades ago, a whole new piece of the puzzle clicked in and she has been hooked ever since.