‘Weird Al’ Yankovic tour will include Bowling Green show

Published 9:14 am Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Jessica Snodgrass Kem has been a fan of “Weird Al” Yankovic since she was in junior high school.

“I had a best friend. She had an older brother. He shared one of ‘Weird Al’s’ albums with us,” the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center marketing manager and gallery director said. “From there, we were obsessed. His greatest hits (album) was one we wore out.”

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Kem will be enjoy a dream come true when Yankovic brings his Mandatory World Tour to Bowling Green.

The Grammy Award-winning comedian will perform at 7:30 p.m. July 7 at SKyPAC at 601 College St. Tickets, which go on sale Jan. 30, range from $37 to $67 plus fees and may be purchased by calling the box office at 270-904-1880, at SKyPAC or online at theskypac.com.

Two VIP passes will be available for purchase online only through SKyPAC’s Show & Ticket webpage. The Mandatory VIP Experience is $129 per package and includes one premium reserved ticket; an invitation to a pre-show party at the Mandatory Lounge, including Green Screen Photo Booth and cash bar; a limited edition Mandatory Tour poster; a complete set of “Weird Al” trading cards, including brand new cards from Mandatory Fun; and an on-site concert concierge. The Mandatory Meet & Greet Experience is $260 per package and includes everything the VIP Experience does, plus seating in the first five rows, a personally autographed poster and an exclusive “Weird Al” merchandise gift.

The tour follows the release of Yankovic’s 14th studio album, “Mandatory Fun,” and will visit more than 100 cities throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Released July 15, the album shot to No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart, the first time ever that a comedy album debuted in the top position, according to a news release. “Mandatory Fun” has also been nominated for a Grammy award in the “Best Comedy Album” category.

Yankovic is known for songs such as “Eat It,” “Like a Surgeon,” “Smells Like Nirvana,” “Yoda,” “Amish Paradise” and “White & Nerdy.” For the rollout of “Mandatory Fun,” he world-premiered eight videos in eight days. The videos included “Tacky,” a parody of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy,” and a parody of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” called “Word Crimes,” which debuted in the Billboard Top 40.

When asked why people should come to see Yankovic, SKyPAC Executive Director Jan Zarr responded, “Why not?”

“He is one of the most imaginative, ingenious artists of our time. He is the only comedian to come out with the No. 1 debuted comedy album in history. That should be enough reason to come see him,” he said. “Did you know that only three artists have had singles that charted in the Top 40 in each of the last four decades? Michael Jackson, Madonna and now ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic. How cool is that to have him here in Bowling Green?”

An offer was put in and accepted, making SKyPAC a stop on the tour, Zarr said.

“We’re very excited to have him coming to Bowling Green,” he said. “We want to let people know they don’t have to travel out of town or state to see and hear great artists. We are serious to make sure these tours and agents know Bowling Green is supportive of the shows we do have here at SKyPAC.”

The performance will broaden SKyPAC’s audience, Zarr said.

“Part of our mission is to make sure we are providing performances that reach all our community. I believe we will have patrons come that have yet to step into SKyPAC since we opened in 2012,” he said. “I guess you can say this is a great way to kick off our fourth anniversary season.”

While Zarr is familiar with Yankovic’s shows and music, he has never attended one of his concerts – this one will be his first, he said.

Kem has never been to a show either, but she has heard about them.

“He puts on a show. It’s extravagant,” she said.

Kem said she can relate to Yankovic’s “quirkiness.”

“I guess he comes off as kind of nerdy, and I was the nerdy kid in school,” she said. “His work is so artistic to me.”

Zarr believes everyone will relate to Yankovic.

“Audiences that have followed Al from his beginnings over 30 years (ago) and new ones understand that creative burst of energy and humor he brings to his live performances,” he said. “He relates to all our inner childhood and truly is a genius that stays relevant to us all.”

— Follow features reporter Alyssa Harvey on Twitter at twitter.com/bgdnfeatures