From doo-wop to hip-hop, ‘Weird Al' Yankovic brought ludicrous range to Boston
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Yankovic's not-so-secret weapons have always been his own ears − not just for trends, but for sounds − and his longtime band's staggering versatility and skill. Augmented by four additional musicians who gleefully threw themselves into silliness while still showcasing their chops, the group nailed every note.
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And silliness there was. Some of it was dead simple, like the 'Polkamania!' medley of recent-ish hits that provided the video image of Bruno Mars and his crew slickly dancing to a polkafied version of 'Uptown Funk,' and offered creative cat-sound workarounds to the explicit title of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's song 'WAP.'
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'Weird Al' Yankovic (right) plays the accordion alongside his touring bandmate and guitarist Jim West during'Bigger and Weirder' 2025 Tour at the Boch Center Wang Theatre on Tuesday.
Ben Pennington/for The Boston Globe
Other parts were a great deal more elaborate, like when the stage was covered in stormtroopers and droids for the 'Star Wars' summations 'Yoda' and 'The Saga Begins.' Neither song, strictly speaking, had many jokes, but Yankovic's instincts were sharp enough to know that straightforward retellings of the movies' events using the tunes of warhorses like 'Lola' and 'American Pie' offered plenty of comedic juice.
Unfortunately for songs like 'White & Nerdy,' 'Everything You Know Is Wrong,' and 'Dare to Be Stupid' – which all relied on a breathless barrage of words and imagery – the sound mix was muddled enough that anyone who didn't already know the words by heart (which was unlikely) might have struggled to pick up on them. Though 'Mission Statement' (corporate-speak gobbledygook filtered through Crosby, Stills & Nash) and 'Word Crimes' (Robin Thicke for 'Elements Of Style' pedants) were helpfully accompanied by lyric videos.
'Weird Al' Yankovic performs 'Dare to Be Stupid' as a part of his 'Bigger and Weirder' 2025 Tour at the Boch Center Wang Theatre.
Ben Pennington/for The Boston Globe
A few performances seemed iffy in a modern context, none more than fooling around with 'It's All About The Pentiums' – a parody the song 'It's All About the Benjamins' – two weeks after the Sean Combs
He even gave advice on how to address him in public with Paul Simon's 'You Can Call Me Al,' played dead straight by the singer and his crack band. In that moment, Yankovic was simply a guy in love with pop music.
'Weird Al' Yankovic holds his microphone toward an audience member during a performance in his 'Bigger and Weirder' 2025 Tour at the Boch Center Wang Theatre on Tuesday.
Ben Pennington/for The Boston Globe
'WEIRD AL' YANKOVIC
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With Puddles Pity Party. At the Boch Center Wang Theatre, Tuesday.
Marc Hirsh can be reached at
or on Bluesky @spacecitymarc.bsky.social
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