World of Weird Al Yankovic

Eh. I don't think CI is the kind of song that really needs a costume. I'd rather him just play it in normal attire, maybe with a different shirt or something, but no need for a costume.

I'd rather that he not play it at all, personally. I don't think it's that good, though it seems like a simplistic enough song to play live.

I just finished writing up my predication for this tour's setlist in a another thread, and it looks like we have some similar ideas. Canadian Idiot seems like a perfect opener (I'm willing to bet it's going to be either that or I'll Sue You which open the show, since both provide a lot of punch, and can be performed just as effectively without costumes, so that a costume change break won't be required right away). Having the polka medley within the first set has always worked well, and it's pretty much guaranteed he'll continue that tradition. White & Nerdy is gonna be a full band costume song, and an anticipated song this tour, so I see it being in the later part of the set, with costume change/videos on both ends.

As far as the older staples, I think Amish Paradise and Pentiums are on their way out. The new album is pretty rap heavy as it is, and I'm sure Al would probably give preference to the newer songs. I don't think anybody is expecting Trash Day to reappear again, and I bet Couch Potato is going to show up partially in the medley, particularly since a number of the lyrics are already dated. I also don't think that Saga Begins will be back, mainly because the movie it is based on is already pretty dated, and if they're going to team it up with Yoda (I'll get to that in a minute) then it would mean having the same encore routine for the third tour in a row. I think Eat It's always going to have a place in the medley - Al's grown enough that he isn't known as the Eat It guy, and he has no qualms about cutting the Medley during shortened shows, which means no Eat It, even though they're usually fair shows so he's playing for a crowd that aren't necessarily HIS fans - but since it only takes up a minute in the medley, and makes a nice closer to it, I'd be surprised if he dropped that tradition at this point. Smells Like Nirvana is always going to have a place in the setlist as well - the band has said that it's their favorite song to do live, and the audience always eats it up. Same thing with Fat...I remember Al said once in an interview that he'll be doing Fat for the rest of his life, because he's noticed that when parents bring their kids to concerts, they sometimes look bored the entire show, but their faces always light up when they see the fat costume. And as for Yoda, it's another favorite for the band and the audiences, and they can always add something new to it with the various Yoda chants - it's been the traditional final closer for the last 15 years, and I know I would be pretty sad if it were dropped.

That leaves One More Minute, which I'm still on the fence about. I wouldn't be surprised if it stayed, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were dropped either.

One older tradition which I'd really like to see come back are the solos. Not only do they give the other band members a moment of attention, but they work as distraction for minor stage and costume adjustments, which keep the show going at a better pace than having a video break after every single song.

TMBJon @ Feb 18 2007, 03:20 PM wrote: When Al kicked off the Bad Hair Tour with Gump and SYBG he wore a simple gold-lamé shirt that was a minor departure from his usual attire. After those two songs he quickly changed into the usual Hawaiian shirt. I'd like to see Al start off with some minor Canadian Idiot costume. Maybe red ties with black maple leafs, black shirts and pants, and a studded belt. Then Al would just have to take off the ties and put on a Hawaiian shirt between CI and the Polka.

The gold shirt was really more of the Since You've Been Gone costume, which also included a shiny jacket. Al had a couple of short sleeved shiny shirts, which he rotated from show to show - not all of them were gold.

Al did a similar costume segue on the Deep End tour. He'd come on stage wearing dress pants, a white dress shirt, and a black tie, which perfectly fit the Robert Palmer look for Spuds, and then put on the accordion for Polka Your Eyes Out, and then put on a suit jacket (putting him in a complete suit) for OMM.

The first time I ever saw Al live, they opened with Beverly Hillbillies, which features an 80s green jacket, with a TIE DYE shirt underneath it. After BH, he took off the jacket and played Lasagna and Bohemian Polka just wearing that shirt. That's probably the bizarrest costume I've seen Al wear!

richegreen @ Feb 18 2007, 05:38 PM wrote: The new album is pretty rap heavy as it is

No, it's not. But other than that, everything you said sounds perfectly reasonable, well-thought out and highly likely.

I don't think Al will lose the lead single from his biggest-selling album. My guess is, AP stays.

I wouldn't mind him losing "Couch Potato" though, and with Anna Nicole's death, losing it would maybe be the tasteful thing to do.

Orthography Enthusiast @ Feb 20 2007, 11:23 AM wrote: I wouldn't mind him losing "Couch Potato" though, and with Anna Nicole's death, losing it would maybe be the tasteful thing to do.

Tasteful and Anna Nicole are oxymoronic. If Couch Potato is still in the set, it's likely in the medley. The real issue with CP is a lot of the shows mentioned in the lyric are no longer on.

weird_el @ Feb 20 2007, 09:36 AM wrote: If Couch Potato is still in the set, it's likely in the medley. The real issue with CP is a lot of the shows mentioned in the lyric are no longer on.

Yeah, and Al would probably leave out the Anna Nicole line. But you're right, it's too outdated to sing it in full.

you know, technically, a couch potato is just as likely to find Anna Nicole Smith on television NOW as they were when her show is on....

Good point. But the half of the rest of that verse alone is terrible outdated.