Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour
The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour was a concert tour performed by American musician and satirist "Weird Al" Yankovic.[1] Intended to be a more intimate and less stylized production compared to his previous concert tours, the Vanity Tour focused on Yankovic's older material and original songs. The 76-date North American tour was announced in October 2017, and included 68 shows in the United States and eight shows in Canada. Following the conclusion of the tour, recordings of the entire tour were released on Stitcher Premium.
Tour by "Weird Al" Yankovic | |
Start date | February 27, 2018 |
---|---|
End date | June 10, 2018 |
Legs | 1 |
No. of shows | 77 |
"Weird Al" Yankovic concert chronology |
Background
In a departure from his previous concert tours, Yankovic set out on The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour with the intention to produce a more intimate, less stylized show than his preceding concert tours, describing the Vanity Tour as having an "extremely limited appeal" by design, and inspired by the staging of VH1 Storytellers and MTV Unplugged.[2][3][4] The absence of video screens and advanced lighting,[2] along with the Vanity Tour's lack of his popular hits, costumes changes, props, and choreography present in Yankovic's previous tours allowed for a more flexible and unpredictable experience, to the testimonial approval of Yankovic himself and his touring band.[3][4] In the tour's October 2017 announcement across social media, Yankovic stated:
By design, it has extremely limited appeal. Instead of doing festivals, fairs and arenas, we'll be doing small, intimate theatres. Instead of putting on a big flashy production, we'll be trying to go for something very informal and low-key… kind of an Unplugged/Storytellers vibe. Like we're just hanging out, playing in your living room. So if you've really got your heart set on seeing fat suits and Segways and hearing all your favorite parodies… this probably isn't the tour for you. Chances are we'll be doing that kind of show again sometime in the future, just not THIS time.
— "Weird Al" Yankovic[4]
The opening act was the comedian Emo Philips, who had previously worked with Yankovic in his 1989 movie UHF and 1997 TV series The Weird Al Show.[5]
In accordance with Yankovic's desired theme of more intimate and "loose" shows, the setlist for The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour was different every night,[6][7] with a focus on older material and original songs from his discography, as opposed to his staple parody songs.[8] Yankovic performed a straight cover version of a different classic rock song during the encore of each show.[9]
Promotion
The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour was officially announced on "Weird Al" Yankovic's official social media pages on 13 October 2017,[3][4] with information on tour dates, venues and ticket sales appearing on Yankovic's official website the day after.[10][11] Tickets for the Vanity Tour, which went on sale on October 20, were advertised from $50 to $70.[6][12] The tour's announcement also coincided with the November 2017 release of Squeeze Box and Medium Rarities, two compilation albums collecting the works of Yankovic.[13]
Follow-up tour
In 2021 "Weird Al" Yankovic announced a follow-up concert tour to the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour "The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour", set to be performed from May to October 2022 which will have special guest Emo Phillips.[14]
I've loved doing every single incarnation of my live show, but honestly the Vanity tour is the most fun I've ever had on stage, so I've been dying to get back out there and torture everybody with it once again!
— "Weird Al" Yankovic[14]
Setlist
Each of the 77 shows had a different set list, with the following 51 songs in regular rotation:[15]
- "Airline Amy"
- "Albuquerque"
- "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota"
- "Bob"
- "Buy Me a Condo"
- "Christmas at Ground Zero"
- "Close But No Cigar"
- "CNR"
- "Craigslist"
- "Dare to Be Stupid" (Grateful Dead version)
- "Dog Eat Dog"
- "Don't Download This Song"
- "Fun Zone"
- "Generic Blues"
- "Good Enough For Now"
- "Good Old Days"
- "Happy Birthday"
- "I Remember Larry"
- "I Was Only Kidding"
- "I'll Sue Ya"
- "I'm So Sick of You"
- "If That Isn't Love"
- "Jackson Park Express"
- "Let Me Be Your Hog"
- "Melanie"
- "Midnight Star"
- "Mr. Frump in the Iron Lung"
- "Mr. Popeil"
- "My Baby's in Love With Eddie Vedder"
- "My Own Eyes"
- "Nature Trail to Hell"
- "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
- "One More Minute"
- "One of Those Days"
- "Party at the Leper Colony"
- "The Saga Begins"
- "She Never Told Me She Was a Mime"
- "Stop Forwarding That Crap to Me"
- "Stuck in a Closet With Vanna White"
- "That Boy Could Dance"
- "Traffic Jam"
- "Truck Drivin' Song"
- "UHF"
- "Velvet Elvis"
- "When I Was Your Age"
- "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?"
- "Yoda"
- "You Don’t Love Me Anymore"
- "Young, Dumb & Ugly"
- "Your Horoscope For Today"
- Unplugged Medley ("Eat It", "I Lost on Jeopardy", "Amish Paradise", "Smells Like Nirvana", "White & Nerdy", "I Love Rocky Road", "Like a Surgeon")
- "Smoke on the Water"
- "Blue Suede Shoes"
- "I Saw Her Standing There"
- "Johnny B. Goode"
- "Do Wah Diddy Diddy"
- "Dirty Water"
- "Honky Tonk Women"
- "Tutti Frutti"
- "Wipeout"
- "All Day and All of the Night"
- "Should I Stay or Should I Go"
- "Blister in the Sun"
- "Uncontrollable Urge"
- "867-5309 (Jenny)"
- "Psycho Killer"
- "Hello There"
- "Refugee"
- "(They Long to Be) Close to You"
- "Cinnamon Girl"
- "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"
- "Play That Funky Music"
- "Free Bird"
- "China Grove"
- "Rebel Yell"
- "Stuck in the Middle with You"
- "Accordion Boogie"
- "Are You Gonna Be My Girl"
- "All Star"
- "Squeeze Box"
- "Beat on the Brat"
- "Last Train to Clarksville"
- "Beer Barrel Polka"
- "Breakdown"
- "What I Like About You"
- "We're an American Band"
- "Peaches"
- "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)"
- "Gimme Some Lovin'"
- "Glad All Over"
- "Sunshine of Your Love"
- "Particle Man"
- "Land of 1,000 Dances"
- "Crocodile Rock"
- "Viva Las Vegas"
- "Fire and Rain"
- "Werewolves of London"
- "I Wanna Be Sedated"
- "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)"
- "Born to Be Wild"
- "Vertigo"
- "You Really Got Me"
- "Sweet Home Alabama"
- "Suffragette City"
- "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)"
- "Radio Radio"
- "Girl U Want"
- "This Is a Call"
- "I'm Down"
- "The Elements"
- "Funeral For a Friend"
- "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"
- "God Save the Queen"
- "No Matter What"
- "Classical Gas"
- "Rock & Roll"
- "Funk #49"
- "Good Lovin'"
- "Foxy Lady"
- "Aqualung"
- "Hard to Handle"
- "All Right Now"
- "Summer Nights"
- "Magic Carpet Ride"
- "Rebel Rebel"
- "Takin' It to the Streets"
- "Not Fade Away"
- "School's Out"
Tour dates
- Festivals and other miscellaneous performances
- A This concert was a part of the "Nashville Comedy Festival"[16]
- B This concert was a part of the "Moontower Comedy Festival"[17]
Box office score data
Venue | City | Tickets sold / Available | Gross revenue |
---|---|---|---|
Théâtre Maisonneuve | Montreal | 2,102 / 2,102 (100%) | $98,975[18] |
Circus Maximus Theater | Atlantic City | 1,330 / 1,606 (83%) | $81,258[19] |
Ohio Theatre | Cleveland | 932 / 1,000 (93%) | $63,019[20] |
Pantages Theatre | Minneapolis | 1,968 / 1,980 (99%) | $124,124[21] |
The Vic Theatre | Chicago | 1,879 / 1,879 (100%) | $94,231[22] |
Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center | Midland | 984 / 1,733 (57%) | $42,690[22] |
The Theatre at Ace Hotel | Los Angeles | 2,981 / 2,981 (100%) | $206,726[23] |
Crest Theatre | Sacramento | 934 / 975 (96%) | $54,538[23] |
Fox Oakland Theatre | Oakland | 1,923 / 1,923 (100%) | $117,345[23] |
TOTAL | 15,033 / 16,179 (93%) | $882,906 | |
References
- Rettig, James (October 13, 2017). ""No Frills" Weird Al Tour To Feature Obscure Songs, No Costumes". Stereogum. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
- Geslani, Michelle (October 14, 2017). ""Weird Al" Yankovic announces The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent Ill-Advised Vanity Tour". Consequence of Sound. Consequence Holdings, LLC. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- Haack, Brian (October 12, 2017). "'Weird Al' Yankovic Announces 'Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour'". Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- Marotta, Michael (October 12, 2017). "A different kind of 'Weird Al' Yankovic tour is coming to North America in 2018". Vanyaland. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- Hopper, Ben (April 12, 2018). "'Weird Al' abandons spectacle for 'intimate' new tour". United Press International (Press release). Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
- Meinert, Kendra (October 13, 2017). "'Weird Al' to play stripped-down show at Meyer Theatre". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- "The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent Ill-Advised Vanity Tour". setlist.fm.
- Menta, Anna (October 13, 2017). "Weird Al Tour Dates Are Here, But the Shows Are 'Not for Everybody'". Newsweek. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- "Weird Al" Yankovic - 77 Cover Songs, retrieved November 21, 2021
- Hughes, William (October 13, 2017). "Weird Al is ditching the parody songs for a "scaled-down," "intimate" tour". The A.V. Club. Onion, Inc. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- Lewis, Randy (October 13, 2017). "'Weird Al' Yankovic will embark on an 'Ill-Advised Vanity Tour' next year". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- Janci, Jenelle (October 13, 2017). "'Weird Al' Yankovic, Stars of Nashville to perform in Lancaster in March 2018". Lancaster Online (LNP). LNP Media Group. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- Roskopp, Jack (October 13, 2017). "F*ck yes: 'Weird Al' Yankovic is coming to Ann Arbor". Metro Times. Euclid Media Group. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- "'Weird Al' Yankovic Details 'The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour'". SPIN. December 3, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- "Weird Al" Yankovic: The Ridiculously Self Indulgent, Ill Advised Vanity Tour (All Originals!), retrieved November 21, 2021
- Paulson, David (October 16, 2017). "Weird Al coming to Nashville with an unusual concert". The Tennessean. Gannett Company. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
- Gross, Joe (October 13, 2017). "'Weird Al' Yankovic and more big names in comedy coming to Austin for Moontower 2018". Austin American-Statesman. Cox Media Group. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 130. Nashville, Tennessee: Eldridge Industries. April 7, 2018. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 130. Nashville, Tennessee: Eldridge Industries. June 9, 2018. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 130, no. 14. Nashville, Tennessee: Eldridge Industries. June 2, 2018. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
- "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 130. Nashville, Tennessee: Eldridge Industries. April 28, 2018. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 130, no. 13. Nashville, Tennessee: Eldridge Industries. May 19, 2018. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on May 13, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. Vol. 130. Nashville, Tennessee: Eldridge Industries. June 23, 2018. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.