Straight Outta Backstage with Bex

One past summer night, I had the best time at the craziest concert show I have ever seen. I caught the famous parodist, singer, songwriter, entertainer, "Weird Al" Yankovic on his "Straight Outta Lynnwood" 2008 Tour straight out of our own Rockford Metro Center in Rockford, Illinois.

It was just hysterical to see Weird Al, I thought I was watching the original performer sing the song, costume and all, but of course you heard the parodies of the song and came back to reality. In this exciting non stop show it was amazing to see how talented Weird Al is. He opened the show with his accordion and harp along with his tremendous voice, band members, Jim West, Lead Guitars and Manolin, Steve Jay, Bass and Banjo, John Schwartz, Drums and Ruben Valtierra on Keyboards. Wow what a band as they played everything from hard rock n roll to hip hop to be bop. This very instrumental multi talented group has been together for many years. The best parts were the polished guitar solos and drum solo early in the show, it was one beat and that's it.

At the start of the show the younger members in the audience cheered to "Canadian Idiot", then the rest of the crowd started to rock on to the melodies of Green Day, Weird Al style. I have never seen so many costume changes, especially in one song. He did six changes right in front of the audience, right down to the last outfit of a spongebob shirt and to-too, hilarious. To blow your mind he sang a song with a palindrome, ok for you deadheads that is a word or phrase that has the property of reading the same in either direction, still with me. Now I could not understand how Weird Al could sing a whole song like this, grade school style with flashcards, yes this was fast and unbelieveable. Houdini couldn't do this one.

The audience loved the animatics on the screen behind the band in between songs. We all saw the wackiest safety video from the fifties

and couldn't stop laughing. His outtakes interviewing celebrities like Madonna, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney and other wannabees on

"Al TV" from his earlier MTV days was way cool. The crowd was so entertained when he did "Wanna Be Your Lover" looking hot in his romantic red suit. Before you knew it he ran in the audience and sang straight into peoples faces as he climed on top of them. The women afterward did not feed anything but good even when he sang "Your Pitiful" his parody of James Blunts "Your Beautiful". This show was well rehearsed as the lights went down and out came the animated video, "Trapped in the Drive-Thru", which had a kickin Led Zeppelin interpolation of "Black Dog" that rocketed the fans into a non stop frenzy.

My favorite part of the show of course was the Nirvana song as the lead guitars blasted out and the cheerleading girls on stage danced and

kicked. Weird Al sang and did air guitar, but no one could understand the lyrics just like the orignial song by Curt Cobain. It must have been

from all the smoke that was coming out from the back of the stage all night that made them so wild and wacky. The stage lights glittered too when Weird Al's melody of Rage Against the Machines,"I'll Sue Ya" song started, it was flaming hot, Al sued everybody in this song and blew one hundred dollar bills from the sky to the crowd. This show was done so creatively, even strobe lights and special effects were added on his billboard top ten single, "White and Nerdy".

Of course this was the hit of the night for everyone even my son who tapped his feet and moved like a rapper in his white and nerdy underwear.

The show stopper was the "Eat It" song, as Weird Al looking like a old and fat Michael Jackson in his blown up equator pants and chains.

How he can move and sing to that song in that blimp outfit is a mystery to me. So what a ending to the show as it looked like a concert like scene when the audience lit up their cell phones and waved them like cigarette lighters. A loud standing ovation started as he came back to sing a encore song about donuts and a never ending array of donuts.

This was just a fun night for all and I certainly go along with Curt Cobains impression that Weird Al is a musical genius. This is one

of the best shows with all the great music and vocals, harmonies, unusual musical intruments, solos, stage antics, costume changes, dancing, girls, on screen video, animated tv clips, lights, smoke, even things falling from the ceiling. Whew what a night.

Now any fans dream is to meet the band after the show and I did along with thirty lucky fans who had pictures, old records to sign and

memorabila from back in the day they wanted to get autographed. It was special that the band did a meet and greet with their fans.

Most of the fans couldn't wait to meet the band and even hung out in droves by the tour bus outside. When I was escorted backstage to get a picture with Weird Al,I had to ask him what was the best part of his live shows? Weird Al said, " It's the great food trays he gets backstage", well I said, "just eat it..eat it, Al, all of it! Thanks Weird Al for the memories straight outta of every fans dream, rock on, your fan forever, Bex.