July 2025
Toronto’s Molson Amphitheatre was turned into a multimedia comedy carnival on 9 July, when the king of musical comedy brought his show to the city where fun usually goes to die. Serving up two hours of music, comedy, short films, lots of costume changes and droll social commentary, the pride of Lynwood, California, had the fans laughing, singing and dancing along to “Weird Al” Yankovic’s polka party.
Yankovic has enjoyed a career that stretches back to the late 1970s, starting with his parody contributions to the Dr. Demento Radio Show, a show that served as the springboard for his career. It was Barret Hansen, known professionally as Dr. Demento, who saw something in the humourously scrappy young performer, playing Yankovic’s first song “Belvedere Cruisin'” on his radio show. The rest is musical/comedy history.
Over the two-hour show, Yankovic breezed through a selection of his many hits, backed up by his longtime bandmates, guitarist Jim West, bass guitarist Steve Jay, drummer Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz and “New guys” (since the early ’90s) pianist Rubén Valtierra and Scheila Gonzalez on backing vocals and brass, alongside additional touring musicians, Probyn Gregory on backing vocals and woodwinds, Payton Velligan on backing vocals and guitar, and Monique Donnelly on backing vocals and keyboards.
While Yankovic is best known for his clever parodies of popular songs, like “Like a Surgeon”, a parody of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”, and “Eat it“, a parody of Michael Jackson’s “Beat it,” Yankovic also has an extensive collection of original, style-parody songs, like the darkly funny, “The Night Santa Went Crazy,” and “One More Minute,” a hilarious break-up song that puts anything Taylor Swift has written to shame. Yankovic even dedicated “One More Minute,” in a dead-pan, ironic delivery, to the women in the audience.
Of course, any “Weird Al” show wouldn’t be complete without his trademark polka party segment, where he does a melody of popular songs, all done in a polka style. In his brilliant theatrical style, Yankovic dramatically raised his accordion skyward like King Arthur drawing Excalibur from the stone, bellowing “Are you ready to polka!?” These polka melodies have been a record and concert staple since his second album “In 3D,” allowing Yankovic to incorporate contemporary hit songs into his repertoire that might not warrant the full parody treatment.
Throughout the show, Yankovic underwent numerous wardrobe changes, rivalling most elaborate Broadway productions, with each song requiring specific costumes that enhanced the theatrical experience of the performance. He, quite appropriately, donned a red maple leaf covered jacket for “Canadian Idiot”, his parody of “American Idiot” by Green Day.
The most heartwarming moment of the show came when Yankovic performed Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman” as a special request song, something he does in every city and something that showcases his versatility as a performer. It also showed his ability to tackle songs he wouldn’t normally perform in concert.
Sources: “Weird Al” Yankovic’s Bigger & Weirder Tour Proves Why He Remains Comedy Rock Royalty – 519 Magazine.
