Weird Al Wins the Governors Ball Armed With a Fat Suit and an Accordion

The 2015 edition of Governors Ball had its fair share of engaging artists, but there was perhaps no one more dedicated to entertaining the masses than “Weird Al” Yankovic. Weird Al may not be the go-to name when considering a dream lineup for a major music festival, but his place in the roster made perfect sense. A career that’s four decades strong meant an all ages crowd stuffed into Governors Ball’s Gotham Tent, fair game for whatever famous parodies Weird Al decided to pull out. And pull out he did, with more props, costume changes, and energy than just about anybody out there.

Weird Al came swinging right from the bell, brandishing his accordion and taking a polka tour through a number of recent top 40 hits. It was a good way to bait the crowd, likely expecting a set heavy on numbers from last year’s smash, Mandatory Fun. The first of these was “Foil”, set to the tune of Lorde’s “Royals”. Some of the props from its music video were wheeled out, plenty of aluminum foil included. The song’s Illuminati-referencing second half may have been lost on a festival crowd, but that was quickly forgotten. Weird Al darted offstage as soon as the song finished, leaving the crowd hotly anticipating what Weird Al would bring next. The thing he brought was IT. And by “IT” I mean one of his most dearly loved classics, the Michael Jackson parody “Fat”, complete with a fat suit that was a perfect replica of the one Weird Al sports in the song’s music video. If festivalgoers were still warming up to the Weird Al festival phenomenon, they were fully in his hands by this point. Even the sound guy was singing along.

After this stellar moment, the set mostly favored Weird Al’s hits from the ‘90s and ’00s, all garnering sing-alongs of varying magnitudes. Mandatory Fun’s most successful parody, the Robin Thicke-aping “Word Crimes”, was thrown in for good measure, as was the bona fide crowd pleaser “Amish Paradise”, a bucolic interpretation of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise”.

Weird Al’s backing band were fair game throughout, changing costumes nearly as often as him and expertly playing their instruments while also executing some intricate choreography. The set ended with a sort of encore of “Yoda”, and hearing the crowd sing along to the tune of The Kinks’ “Lola” was a treat in itself. For unabashed silliness, productive hyperactivity and sheer entertainment, the set was a clear standout amid a strong three days of performances.

Mandatory Fun tour dates:

Jun 11 — Carpenter Theatre At Richmond Center Stage Richmond, VA

Jun 12 — Filene Center At Wolf Trap Vienna, VA

Jun 13 — Pier Six Pavilion Baltimore, MD

Jun 14 — Berglund Performing Arts Theatre Roanoke, VA

Jun 16 — Sands Bethlehem Event Center Bethlehem, PA

Jun 18 — Koka Booth Amphitheatre Cary, NC

Jun 19 — Ovens Auditorium Charlotte, NC

Jun 20 — Chastain Park Amphitheatre Atlanta, GA

Jun 21 — Fraze Pavilion Kettering, OH

Jun 23 — Midland Theatre Newark, OH

Jun 24 — Louisville Palace Louisville, KY

Jun 26 — Caesars Windsor – The Colosseum Windsor, On, Canada

Jun 27 — Chicago Theatre Chicago, IL

Jun 28 — Peabody Opera House St. Louis, MO

Jun 30 — Arvest Bank Theatre At The Midland Kansas City, MO

Jul 1 — Orpheum Theatre Wichita, KS

Jul 2 — Harrah’S Hotel And Casino – Stir Cove Council Bluffs, IA

Jul 3 — Mystic Lake Casino – Mystic Showroom Prior Lake, MN

Jul 4 — Summerfest Milwaukee, WI

Jul 5 — National Cherry Festival Traverse City, MI

Jul 7 — Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center Bowling Green, KY

Jul 8 — Peace Center For The Performing Arts Greenville, SC

Jul 10 — Warner Theatre Erie, PA

Jul 11 — Palace Theatre Albany, NY

Jul 12 — Flynn Center For The Performing Arts Burlington, VT

Jul 14 — Turning Stone Resort Casino – Showroom Verona, NY

Jul 15 — University At Buffalo Center For The Arts Buffalo, NY

Jul 17 — Hamilton Place Theatre Hamilton, On, Canada

Jul 18 — Casino Rama – Entertainment Centre Rama, On, Canada

Jul 19 — Ottawa Bluesfest Ottawa, On, Canada

Jul 20 — Centennial Hall London, On, Canada

Jul 21 — Just For Laughs Festival Montreal, Qc, Canada

Jul 23 — Casino Nova Scotia – Schooner Showroom Halifax, Ns, Canada

Jul 24 — Casino Nova Scotia – Schooner Showroom Halifax, Ns, Canada

Jul 25 — Casino New Brunswick – The Centre Moncton, Nb, Canada

Jul 26 — Maine State Pier Portland, ME

Jul 28 — Count Basie Theatre Red Bank, NJ

Jul 30 — Capitol Theatre Port Chester, NY

Jul 31 — Mann Center For Performing Arts Philadelphia, PA

Aug 1 — The Paramount Huntington, NY

Aug 2 — Mayo Performing Arts Center Morristown, NJ

Aug 4 — The Zeiterion Performing Arts Center New Bedford, MA

Aug 5 — Community Arts Center Williamsport, PA

Aug 7 — Tennessee Theatre Knoxville, TN

Aug 8 — Ferguson Center For The Arts Newport News, VA

Aug 9 — North Charleston Performing Arts Center North Charleston, SC

Aug 11 — Hard Rock Live At Universal Citywalk Orlando, FL

Aug 13 — Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater, FL

Aug 14 — King Center For The Performing Arts Melbourne, FL

Aug 15 — Broward Center For The Performing Arts Ft Lauderdale, FL

Aug 16 — Florida Theatre Jacksonville, FL

Aug 18 — Bayou Music Center Houston, TX

Aug 19 — Majestic Theatre San Antonio, TX

Aug 20 — Austin City Limits Live At The Moody Theater Austin, TX

Aug 21 — Verizon Theatre At Grand Prairie Grand Prairie, TX

Aug 23 — Paramount Theatre Denver, CO (Early Show @ 4Pm)

Aug 23 — Paramount Theatre Denver, CO

Aug 24 — Sandy Amphitheater Sandy, UT

Aug 26 — Ava Amphitheater Tucson, AZ

Aug 29 — The Masonic San Francisco, CA

Aug 30 — Harris Center For The Arts Folsom, CA

Aug 31 — Harris Center For The Arts Folsom, CA

Sep 1 — Van Duzer Theatre Arcata, CA

Sep 2 — Britt Pavilion Jacksonville, OR

Sep 4 — Les Schwab Amphitheater Bend, OR

Sep 5 — Oregon Zoo Amphitheater Portland, OR

Sep 6 — Oregon Zoo Amphitheater Portland, OR

Sep 8 — Queen Elizabeth Theatre Vancouver, Bc, Canada

Sep 9 — South Okanagan Events Centre Penticton, Bc, Canada

Sep 11 — Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium Edmonton, Ab, Canada

Sep 12 — Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium Calgary, Ab, Canada

Sep 13 — Northern Quest Resort & Casino Airway Heights, WA

Sep 14 — Washington State Fair Puyallup, WA

Sep 16 — Gallo Center For The Arts Modesto, CA

Sep 18 — Harrah’S Laughlin – Rio Vista Outdoor Amphitheater Laughlin, NV

Sep 19 — Greek Theatre Los Angeles, CA

Sep 24 — Grona Lund Stockholm, Sweden

Sep 25 — Sentrum Scene Oslo, Norway

Sep 26 — Brattora Trondheim, Norway

Sep 28 — Vega Copenhagen, Denmark

Sep 30 — Melkweg Amsterdam, Netherlands

Oct 1 — Ancienne Belgique Brussels, Belgium

Oct 3 — O2 Academy Birmingham, United Kingdom

Oct 4 — Eventim Apollo London, United Kingdom

Oct 6 — Vicar Street Dublin, Ireland

Oct 7 — The Limelight Belfast, United Kingdom

Oct 9 — O2 Abc Glasgow, Scotland