Latest Posts

Werid Al at UB’s Center for the Arts (7/15/15)

July 15, 2015

Weird Al is typically viewed as a comedian more often than a musician. In the public’s eye, musicianship is hard for any comedian to earn, especially one that parodies. So before going to Weird Al’s sold-out show at the Center for the Arts last night, I thought of it more as a chance to see a legendary comedian than a rock star. But then again, would I be this excited to see a comedian who I could recite (sing along with?) most of their punch lines? With an extensive songbook spanning decades of musical genres and pop references, the show was not only a culmination of Weird Al’s career, but also a two and a half hour history lesson of our modern culture—from Jeopardy to Forrest Gump to eBay. And like many artists who have too many hits to play, songs would run into one another in long, tightly choreographed[...]

Tonight: Weird Al

July 15, 2015

You know that moment when you hear the first few notes of “Gangster’s Paradise” and you aren’t really sure if it’s Coolio or Weird Al’s “Amish Paradise” yet? Then subsequently start singing Weird Al anyway because those are the lyrics you know better. As a child of the 90’s, this was my experience, but I’d bet children of both the 80’s and 00’s have similar experiences with Weird Al songs, whether it’s “Eat It” (“Beat It”), “White & Nerdy” (“Ridin’ Dirty”), or one of his new hits like “Handy” (“Fancy”). After decades of his satirical wackiness, Weird Al doesn’t just parody culture, he helps shape it. Coming off the huge success of his latest album, Mandatory Fun, Weird Al will play the Mainstage Theater at UB’s Center for the Arts for a sold out show tonight. He has always had a dedicated following here, and with Weird Al’s career reaching his[...]

Just Announced: Weird Al

January 20, 2015

One of the more unexpected success stories of 2014 was the comeback of Weird Al Yankovic, who dropped his well received new album, Mandatory Fun, last summer, and surprisingly (or maybe not depending on how you feel about the guy) gained his first #1 album on the Billboard charts of his long career (watch the pretty touching reveal here). The artist, who for nearly 30 years now, has made a career of parodying acts from Michael Jackson to the Presidents of the United States of America to Lorde, in addition to dropping countless viral music videos, just announced a massive tour in support of the album, one that will include a stop in Buffalo later this summer. Yankovic will bring his “Mandatory Fun Tour” to the University at Buffalo’s Center for the Arts Mainstage Theatre on Wednesday, July 15th. Tickets will on sale on Friday, January 30th at 10am, for $49.50.

The Stunning Endurance Of Weird Al

July 21, 2014

Last week, the winner of the internet was pretty much unanimous: it was Weird Al by a mile. After releasing his new album Mandatory Fun and putting out a new video for eight straight days, it became abundantly clear that the world is still interested in Weird Al’s warped take on the popular songs of the day. Really, this isn’t surprising; he’s a hilarous guy, and he always has been. But one interesting thing to consider is that Weird Al has managed to remain relevant in music for 30 years now. That sort of thing is practically unheard of. As the trends in popular music have shifted again and again, the only thing that’s really remained constant is Weird Al’s ability to mock them. There’s always a New Dylan, a Next Springsteen, and a Madonna-in-waiting. But Weird Al is pretty much irreplaceable. Plenty of aging musicians still have their albums[...]