I have yet to experience the majesty of “Mr. Of the non-parody cuts found in the ’84 setlist, I’ve been lucky enough to hear “Buy Me A Condo” and “Midnight Star” live. Why? I have no idea! (My then 6-year-old self wasn’t at the show.) But the eight songs that did populate the roughly half-hour set-all but one from In 3-D-were/are some old-school doozies:Īl’s recent “Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tours” have almost exclusively featured original and non-parody songs. Weirdly (ha), Al’s 1984 Summerfest set did not start off with “Eat It.” In fact, “Eat It” didn’t make an appearance at all. (An aside: Have you seen the recently unearthed “coverage” take of the “Eat It” video? Incredible.) You know, the one that starts off with a little song called “Eat It.” He was also just a few months removed from the release of his breakthrough second album, “Weird Al” Yankovic In 3-D. The recording sounds great!īack on July 4, 1984-the exact date of this Summerfest show-Al Yankovic was a wild-eyed, keyed-up, and gloriously coiffed parody singer just shy of his 25th birthday. the year Weird Al truly became, you know, Weird Al.įirst, here’s audio of the whole show! It took place on Summerfest’s now-defunct “Rock Stage” (located on the south end of the grounds where the BMO Harris Pavilion is today), and it kicked off at 10:15 p.m. So why am I focusing on yet another Weird Al show for this “Take be back to Summerfest” column? And why on Earth am I focusing on yet another Weird Al Summerfest show? Well, the year should tell you everything you need to know: 1984-a.k.a. If you’re surprised that the guy (me) who organizes semi-annual “Weird Al Weeks” on this very site has seen Weird Al a bunch of times, you really shouldn’t be. Hell, I’ve seen him three times at Summerfest alone. From county fairs and tiny clubs to fancy ballrooms and performing arts centers, I’ve seen Al everywhere. I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but I’ve seen “Weird Al” Yankovic approximately 78 times.