Pier Six PolkaFest

When I did the Battle of the Rock Dinosaurs last month, I liked the review format so much that I have decided to use it for all my concert reviews even if I don't have two or more shows to compare. We had never been to Pier Six for a concert and my son has always wanted to see Weird Al live, so we headed down to the Inner Harbor last Friday.

Band	Weird Al Yankovich
Blurry Overexposed Cell Phone Picture
Synopsis	Weird Al brought all his song parodies and wacky routines to Pier Six. He played all the classics and the latest hits.
Opening Act	None. Instead, I took my family to McCormick and Schmicks for happy hour. While M&S is a tony semi-special occasion seafood place, the bar area has great happy hour specials. The signature item is a half-pound hamburger for $1.95. Plus, unlike the DC branches, the Baltimore location has a great water view. My son and I went through three rounds of appetizers before time ran out. The show didn't start until 8:30 so we wandered over to OtherBigBoxOfBooks next to the Hard Rock. I love that location with the big old chimneys right in the middle of the store.
Stage Presence	Al brings it. He does a costume change for nearly every number. He puts a lot of effort into the performance and all the impersonations are dead on.
Stage Show	While he is backstage changing, they run bits from his old shows on the big screen. These get nearly as many laughs as the songs themselves. His backing band also gets into the act with matching costumes and parodies of rock cliches. The accordion solos were pretty funny as well as the props and gimmicks.
Amusing Anecdote	He doesn't do a lot of stage patter, but for the encore, he says that he has just enough time for one more song and then goes into a fifteen minute version of "Albequerque."
Highlights	You haven't lived until you have seen the twelve Startrooper kickline for "The Saga Begins." "White and Nerdy" and "Amish Paradise" were also big crowd pleasers
Show Length	2:15 but that included the rather long interludes.
Audience Demeanor	Definitely a family show. As a pair of parents with a geeky teenage kid, we fit right in. There were kids as young as nine or ten, but they all had a good time.
Noticeable Omissions	"Like A Surgeon" - Maybe Madonna is a little too old school for this crowd.
Other Reviews	None I could find. The show was only about half-sold and escaped the notice of mainstream press.
Verdict	A great time with a lot of funny songs. There's a reason he is the king of song parodies.