For “Weird Al” Yankovic, preparing a fresh set for the Tiny Desk never posed a challenge. The singer and frequent pop‑parody icon draws on a vast archive of parodies, pastiches and originals, and he brings a full band that has evolved since the modest acoustic ensemble that graced the stage in 2010.
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In this performance, Yankovic highlighted original material before revisiting beloved parodies. He performed his comedic reinterpretations of Don McLean’s “American Pie” (“The Saga Begins”) from 1999’s Running with Scissors and the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” (“eBay”) from 2003’s Poodle Hat. The set also included the Weezer pastiche “Skipper Dan” from 2011’s Alpocalypse, as well as the blues‑rock jam “Now You Know,” the closing‑credits track from the 2022 biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.
SET LIST
- “Skipper Dan”
- “eBay”
- “Now You Know”
- “The Saga Begins”
MUSICIANS
- Al Yankovic – vocals, keys
- Jim “Kimo” West – guitar, background vocals
- Steve Jay – bass, background vocals მაის
- Jon “Burmuda” Schwartz – drums
- Chad Thomas – keys
- Payton Rose Velligan – guitar, background vocals
- Monique Donnelly – tambourine, background vocals
- Scheila Gonzalez – alto sax, baritone sax, background vocals
- Probyn Gregory – trumpet, background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
- Producers: Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
- Director: Joshua Bryant
- Audio Director/Mix: Josh Newell
- Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
- Video Editor: Kara Frame
- Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Maia Stern
- Audio Engineer: Neil Tevault
- Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
- Photographer: Bronson Arcuri
- Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
- Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
- Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
- Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
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