'Weird Al' electrifies RR Events Center with 'Bigger & Weirder' tour

RIO RANCHO — Whether dressed in Amish clothing, riding on a Segway scooter, or simply jamming on his accordion, “Weird Al” Yankovic, the musician long known for his parodies of popular songs, didn’t disappoint a packed crowd Sept. 5 at the Rio Rancho Events Center.

Yankovic, 65, performed during a stop on his “Bigger & Weirder” 2025 tour, his first appearance in the City of Vision since 2007. The 21-song show, including a medley, branded itself as a “legendary full-production multimedia comedy rock show,” including his biggest hits and songs never performed before. It also included Yankovic’s longtime four-piece band and four additional players to “create a super-sized concert experience,” according to his website.

Earlier this summer, the 75-show tour saw a career milestone for Yankovic, when he sold out his July 12 performance at Madison Square Garden — a venue he had never played before.

Friday’s performance in Rio Rancho was a first of sorts for Yankovic, performing at the Events Center under its current name — as opposed to the Santa Ana Star Center, which is what the venue was called when Santa Ana Star Casino had naming rights.

Following a performance by Michael Geier — better known as his clown alter-ego Puddles Pity Party — it was Yankovic’s turn to hit the stage. He began, however, by wandering the halls of the Events Center, much to the amusement of staff, as he performed “Tacky.”

“Hello Rio Rancho!” said Yankovic, once on stage at the end of the song — a parody of “Happy” by Pharrell Williams.

Early into the set, Yankovic exchanged his colorful suit jacket for his iconic accordion and exclaimed to the audience, “Are you ready to party?” It was time for “Polkamania!” a medley of modern pop songs, including Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” in polka style.

Soon after, Yankovic found himself apologizing to “all the dudes” in the audience because the next song — “One More Minute” — was “just for the ladies.” Wearing a red silk robe, he went into the audience and serenaded female concert-goers.

Yankovic and his band seamlessly went from one hit to the next during an 11-song medley that included “Like a Surgeon,” “My Bologna” and “Eat It.”

Friday’s “Weird Al” concert would not have been complete without costume changes. Yankovic and his band dressed up like members of Nirvana for “Smells Like Nirvana” and Devo for the style-parody “Dare to be Stupid.” Then, there was the “Fat” outfit for Yankovic’s take on Michael Jackson’s “Bad.”

While the audience had to wait for costume changes, they were treated to humorous videos featuring Yankovic, including a clip from his 2022 bio-pic “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.”

Friday’s performance wasn’t entirely about laughs, as Yankovic managed to fit into the set a cover of late Beatle George Harrison’s song, “What is Life” — a number he first performed at a 2016 Harrison tribute concert.

Following the show, Rio Rancho resident Michael Blagrade said in an interview it was great to see Yankovic, whom he had never seen live before. Blagrade noted he first heard of the renowned parody artist 35 years ago, when he lived in Los Angeles and could hear “The Dr. Demento Show,” where Yankovic first gained prominence.

“(Yankovic) puts on a good show,” Blagrade said, adding he loved the encore, when stormtroopers and Darth Vader joined the band on stage for “The Saga Begins.” The song, a parody of Don McLean’s “American Pie,” is about the 1999 Star Wars film “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.”

Joseph Greshin, of Albuquerque, said the show was “a great opportunity to share” Yankovic’s music with his son and daughter. She loved it when Yankovic performed “Yoda.” He loved the “Capt. Underpants Theme Song.”

Greshin and his kids drove to the concert guessing what songs Yankovic would play.

“Now, we’re going to have to go back and figure out how many we got right,” Greshin said.