Citizens had the allotted amount of mandatory fun promised by Supreme Comedy General “Weird Al” Yankovic at the South Okanagan Events Centre on Wednesday.
State-sanctioned songs approved by the Minister of Comedy were accepted and applauded by devoted citizens of the great nation of Canada.
The exalted General Yankovic provided his people with hit song parodies of state-approved artists spanning decades from Micheal Jackson (Beat It/Eat It) to Lorde (Royals/Foil).
The master of comedy entered the sports/entertainment complex like no artist before, with one of his latest hits, a parody of Pharrell Williams’ Happy (Tacky), taking him through the familiar bowels of the SOEC live on the video screen before emerging to give high-fives to loyal citizens in the crowd.
Many costume changes were made, one for nearly every song, displaying the great power and might of the Mandatory World Tour wardrobe department.
Many songs from across the strange and wonderful career of Weird Al were played and fun was enforced on all attendees.
The obedient crowd waited patiently for hits like White and Nerdy and Amish Paradise while being entertained in the interim by a compilation of nearly every reference, cameo, guest spot or appearance by Supreme General Yankovic in pop culture over the last 25 years being played on the video screen. Many laughs were reported.
Displaying the strength of an empire, a Star Wars-themed encore brought the show to its mandatory stopping point with songs like Yoda and The Saga Begins which citizens sung along to in perfect chorus and rythym displaying the strength of the state.
Hits old and new, and fans young and old showed that no matter how many cellphones, tweets, or insta-whatevers have gone by, the wacky weirdness of Al maintains.
Much of the show was homage and extension to Yankovic’s real supreme power, music videos.
There may never be another “Weird Al” Yankovic, so let us thank the great and powerful leaders for allowing citizens to amass and pay tribute to this one-of-a-kind demonstration of the West’s supreme comedic abilities.
Dale Boyd is Weird Al groupie and also a reporter for the Western News
