For a few years now, my partner and I have been eager to take our soon-to-be 13-year-old daughter, Mia, to her very first concert. We suggested big names like Paul McCartney (who she adored as a child), Imagine Dragons (definitely more her style), and even Taylor Swift (a great role model). But to our surprise, she turned them all down in favor of seeing Weird Al Yankovic.
“Really?” I asked, puzzled. “Why him?”
“Because he’s hilarious, and he’s such a nerd,” she replied with a grin. “My friends and I love his song ‘Word Crimes.’”
It seems Mia isn’t alone in her admiration for Weird Al. His Mandatory Fun tour was sold out at various venues, including the concert we attended in June just outside Washington, D.C. Despite never hearing him on the radio, I soon realized that my daughter and the entire audience, including myself, knew all the lyrics by heart.
Weird Al has been a staple of pop culture humor for decades. He’s made appearances on shows like The Big Bang Theory and has been featured in nearly every cartoon Mia grew up watching—The Simpsons, Adventure Time, and even the old Scooby-Doo series.
I have my own fond memories of Weird Al, especially the first time I heard “My Bologna.” At 15, the original song “My Sharona” felt so daring and charged with youthful desire, so it baffled me to hear it turned into a song about a sandwich. With tracks like “I Love Rocky Road” and “Eat It,” I quickly grasped his comedic genius. It turned out Weird Al was my introduction to parody, well before I even discovered Mad magazine at age 11.
As we arrived at the concert, Mia eagerly wanted to check out the merchandise, but we were met with a long line for T-shirts, hats, and trading cards—much longer than any I had seen at Robert Plant or Rolling Stones concerts. The venue was buzzing with parents and their middle schoolers, and I even spotted a few of Mia’s classmates. Clearly, this was the ultimate hangout for tweens.
Once we settled into our seats, I noticed Mia’s excitement was palpable. She is usually impatient with anything over an hour long, yet she kept asking when the show would start. So when Weird Al burst onto the stage with “Tacky,” it was impossible not to smile. I glanced over at Mia, and she was just like every other kid in the crowd—snapping photos and recording her favorite songs on her phone.
Throughout the performance, I saw that Weird Al had evolved from his classic Hawaiian shirt look to include elaborate costume changes. When he and the band dressed up as DEVO, I thought for a moment Mia might recognize them, but she didn’t catch the reference. However, she did know all about “Eat It” and “Another One Rides The Bus.” Our family favorite “Smells Like Nirvana” also made an appearance, and I was relieved she knew about Nirvana and Kurt Cobain, thanks to Weird Al. I couldn’t help but overhear her asking her dad, “Did you ever see Nirvana perform?” to which he replied, and she seemed genuinely impressed.
The final song before the encore, “Word Crimes,” humorously critiques the grammar issues faced by today’s kids due to texting and spell check. I told Mia her English teacher should use that video in class. “She has!” Mia exclaimed. It made so much sense why kids adore Weird Al.
After the concert, we stopped for merch, and unsurprisingly, my little Mad magazine fan picked out a T-shirt featuring Weird Al alongside Alfred E. Neuman.
As we drove home, I asked Mia if she would be interested in attending another concert in the future. “Maybe,” she said thoughtfully. “Only if Weird Al comes back.”
In summary, the experience of attending Weird Al’s concert opened up a fun and engaging world for Mia, blending humor with a touch of nostalgia for me. It was a delightful reminder that music can bridge generations, even when the artist isn’t who we initially expected.
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