World of Weird Al Yankovic

I would think that contacting the person in charge of booking the venue would be the most productive. You might mention that in 2007 Al played some venues TWICE because the demand was so high.

Well, the "Konocti Kurse" has struck again, this time at Konocti itself. The Konocti Resort at Clearlake will officially close this November, so that venue won't be on any tour dates this time around.

Got a response from the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, RI.

We thank you very much for your letter and recommendation of Weird Al along with your wealth of information.  Please know that we here at PPAC are also fans of Weird Al!  I myself have fond memories of popping Weird Al tapes into my cassette player and being entertained for hours!  Even now, I truly appreciate what a talented artist he is!


Please also know that the reason for us not booking Weird Al is not because of our lack of trying.  We have many times in the past tried to secure a date with him, but his availability has been one of the culprits.  Another huge reason we have not been able to book him is because of some of those casino plays and other nearby venue plays you mentioned seeing him at.  Unfortunately, some of the large casinos and venues are able to secure an act over us and when they do, they also make sure we are blocked from booking the same artist for a period of time.



We appreciate you letting us know about his upcoming tour, and we will look again in trying to secure a date.  We also appreciate your patronage and we hope you will visit us again soon!!  Our next musical, Young Frankenstein, begins September 29th.  If you’re a Mel Brooks fan, you will love this musical!

Such a personalized response made my day.

Looking like I won't make it to the tour

We thank you very much for your letter and recommendation of Weird Al along with your wealth of information.

What information? I plan on contacting 3 local theaters to see if they can book Al, and having a message with more than just "Please book Weird Al" would be nice.

GuyWhoIsAnonymous @ September 12, 2009 04:01 pm wrote:
What information? I plan on contacting 3 local theaters to see if they can book Al, and having a message with more than just "Please book Weird Al" would be nice.

Dear representatives of PPAC,
I'm a hardcore fan of "Weird Al" and a longtime patron of your venue seeing countless musicals there. I'd like to propose an act for next year's events at PPAC.
"Weird Al" Yankovic, a man who needs no introduction in the entertainment industry is on tour with his band next year. His shows are a multi-media extravaganza including plenty of hilarious costume changes and video clips to enhance the performance of an incredibly talented band.

I can say with confidence and with no fanboyish bias that Yankovic is a phenomenal performer, a perfectionist to his craft, and is dedicated to bringing his A+ game to each and every aspect of his art. To paraphrase an old quote of his- "Parody is silly entertainment and serious work". The Weird Al "experience" is a high energy show with a wide demograph ranging from young to old, hardcore cross country tour chasers to casual attendees all across southern new england and the state of Rhode Island. Its profitable to not only book him but spread as much publicity as you can.

For reasons that have oddly remained unclear, especially because of the quality of his shows, despite all my knowledge of his work- Al hasn't performed in Rhode Island since roughly 2000/2001 but has always performed within a short distance to the state. Convenient enough when we are living in the smallest state in the union. To book Al at your venue is to be the first in nearly a decade for this state.

Still not convinced? I've been to....alright now I'm showing my nerdy side if I haven't already...11 concerts of his in the New England area from Foxwoods all the way to even Virginia. Each venue shown clear excitement to have him. It truly was a noteworthy event. To quote an announcer on the loudspeakers at Foxwoods before entering the theater "If you haven't seen this guy before, you're in for a real treat". I couldn't have put it better myself throughout this long whinded letter.

Sincerely,
a humble patron

OK I suppose if you live in Wyoming this could be a reasonable endeavor but if you're from Rhode Island or any other state with a metropolitan city, is there really much of a worry whether Al is going to come to play somewhere near enough to you worth driving?

Squirrelygirl @ September 11, 2009 11:00 pm wrote: Well, the "Konocti Kurse" has struck again, this time at Konocti itself. The Konocti Resort at Clearlake will officially close this November, so that venue won't be on any tour dates this time around.

This will probably come as something of a relief to Al and the guys, who won't miss the strong winds, the noise restrictions or the prospect of major injury, and to their bus and truck drivers, who won't mind the long and winding road in and out of Clear Lake.

Konocti has to be a prime piece of property, though. I wonder what they're going to do with it.

Okay, seriously now. How early are tour dates usually announced, and how much do they change after they do? I NEED TO START PLANNING!!!

AlejandraDD @ September 13, 2009 07:53 pm wrote: Okay, seriously now. How early are tour dates usually announced, and how much do they change after they do? I NEED TO START PLANNING!!!

Same.. I dont stand a chance of getting everything sorted out otherwise (supposing I can come at all)