Photo by Ben Kaye

“Weird Al” Yankovic will head back onto the road early next year for another expansive North American tour. This time, however, the legendary comedian-singer is opting for a “no frills” event with an “Unplugged vibe,” featuring a set comprised almost exclusively of original songs — not the parodies that have featured heavily in his past shows. As such, he’s titled the outing, “the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent Ill-Advised Vanity Tour.”

“I decided we should try something different, just for a change of pace,” he explained on Facebook. “So next year we’re scaling way, way back. No costumes, no props, no video screens, no computer servers. We’re just going to walk out on stage, sit down on stools, and play a bunch of old songs. Oh, and we’re going to be performing almost exclusively originals (i.e. not parodies). The deep cuts and obscure tracks. The songs that were never hits. The ones you barely remember.”

“Weird Al” likened the tour to “like we’re just hanging out, playing in your living room.” He added, “After putting on ‘multimedia extravaganzas’ for 35 years, we just wanted to take it down a few notches and have a little musical palate cleanser.”

No longer restricted by scheduled wardrobe changes and theatrics, each concert will be flexible in terms of what songs are played. “We’re going deep into the catalogue and mixing up the set list every night. This show will be loose, unpredictable, and maybe a little sloppy – we’ll be making it up as we go along.”

The last proper album from “Weird Al” came with 2014’s Mandatory Fun. On November 24th, he’s set to release a career-spanning box set called Squeeze Box.

Consult the full itinerary below, followed by a trailer for the tour.

“Weird Al” Yankovic 2018 Tour Dates:
02/27 – Poughkeepsie, NY @ Bardavon 1869 Opera House
03/01 – Tarrytown, NY @ Tarrytown Music Hall
03/02 – Mashantucket, CT @ Foxwoods Resort Casino
03/03 – Portsmouth, NH @ The Music Hall
03/04 – Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre
03/07 – Montreal, QC @ Place des Arts
03/09 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth
03/10 – Grand Rapids, MI @ 20 Monroe Live
03/11 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Michigan Theater
03/13 – Buffalo, NY @ University at Buffalo Center for the Arts
03/14 – Ithaca, NY @ State Theatre
03/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Caesars Atlantic City
03/17 – Long Island, NY @ The Paramount
03/18 – Harrisburg, PA @ American Music Theatre
03/20 – Washington, DC @ Music Center at Strathmore
03/23 – New York, NY @ Apollo Theater
03/24 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Palace Theatre
03/25 – Cleveland, OH @ Playhouse Square
03/26 – Lexington, KY @ Lexington Opera House
03/28 – Louisville, KY @ The Browne Theatre
03/29 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Center for the Performing Arts
03/30 – Champaign, IL @ Virginia Theatre
03/31 – Des Moines, IA @ Hoyt Sherman Place
04/02 – Rochester, MN @ Mayo Civic Center Presentation Hall
04/03 – Minneapolis, MN @ Pantages Theatre
04/04 – Minneapolis, MN @ Pantages Theatre
04/06 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
04/07 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
04/10 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater
04/12 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Honeywell Center
04/13 – Chattanooga, TN @ Walker Theater
04/14 – Augusta, GA @ Miller Theater
04/15 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
04/19 – Springfield, MO @ Gillioz Theatre
04/20 – Longview, TX @ LeTourneau University Belcher Center
04/21 – Austin, TX @ Moontower Comedy Festival at Paramount Theatre
04/22 – Midland, TX @ Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center
04/24 – Houston, TX @ Stafford Performing Arts Center
04/26 – San Antonio, TX @ Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
04/27 – Dallas, TX @ The Majestic Theatre
04/28 – Wichita, KS @ Orpheum Theater
04/29 – Kansas City, MO @ Folly Theater
05/01 – Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
05/03 – Grand Junction, CO @ Avalon Theatre
05/04 – Saint George, UT @ Tuacahn Amphitheatre
05/05 – Tucson, AZ @ Fox Tucson Theatre
05/06 – Albuquerque, NM @ Lensic Performing Arts Center
05/08 – Phoenix, AZ @ Mesa Arts Center
05/09 – Palm Springs, CA @ McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts
05/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Theatre at Ace Hotel
05/12 – San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay
05/15 – Sacramento, CA @ Crest Theatre
05/17 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Golden Stage Theatre
05/18 – Modesto, CA @ Turlock Community Theatre
05/19 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre
05/20 – Napa, CA @ Uptown Theatre
05/22 – Redding, CA @ Cascade Theatre
05/24 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre
05/25 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
05/26 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
05/27 – Spokane, WA @ Martin Woldson Theatre at the Fox
05/29 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
05/31 – Calgary, AB @ Grey Eagle Resort & Casino
06/01 – Regina, AB @ Casino Regina
06/02 – Edmonton, AB @ River Cree Resort and Casino
06/03 – Medicine Hat, AB @ Esplanade Theatre
06/05 – Winnipeg, AB @ Burton Cummings Theatre for the Performing Arts
06/06 – Fargo, ND @ Fargo Theatre
06/08 – Columbia, MO @ Jesse Auditorium
06/09 – Clear Lake, IA @ Surf Ballroom
06/10 – Green Bay, WI @ Meyer Theatre