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My Night as a Weird Al Backup Dancer
Last night I was lucky enough to get to dance on stage at the Weird Al concert for the second time. In each city the Weird Al tour goes to, they ask 2 local dancers to perform on stage as the "grunge cheerleaders" during the song Smells Like Nirvana.
It was an awesome night! My friend Kayla and I were asked to arrive at the MTS Centre at 4:00 pm, 3 1/2 hours before the show started. We were greeted by Lloyd Fox, the Senior Manager of External Broadcast & Event Production, and he lead us to our dressing room. Lloyd provided us with a CD player and a copy of the song we were dancing to and we were asked to come up with a routine to do onstage.
We practised our dance until we had it memorized and then we put on our costumes. We wore black bodysuits, black skirts and we had big red pom poms. The time went by fast and at 7:40 we were asked to come wait backstage. It was so exciting waiting for our turn to dance. The big screens played a video showing how much Weird Al is mentioned in pop culture. There were clips of SNL, Friends, The Simpsons, Family Guy and a few more, that all referenced the famous parodist.
Then the lights went black as we stood on the stage. Out stumbled a Kurt Cobain-esq Weird Al, wearing a blonde wig and grunge clothes. The guitarist played the beginning riff of Smells Like Nirvana and we started our dance. It was so cool being on stage and seeing the audience from the perspective of a performer. I have been in the crowd at so many concerts at the MTS Centre and now I was standing onstage, I was awestruck.
When we were finished performing, we were allowed to watch the show. It was hilarious! You don't have to be a big Weird Al fan to enjoy his show because it is just so entertaining. Al had several costume changes including a tiger print suit, a fat suit, a Star Wars Jedi costume, and a giant furry peacock suit. The band that plays with Weird Al even wore different costumes to add to the comedy.
The song that the crowd was most excited for was Amish Paradise, the parody of Gangster's Paradise. Two fans even came to the show decked out in Amish style clothes with long fake beards.
The show ended with a 3-minute long song with lyrics that were literally gibberish. Weird Al, along with his bassist and guitarist sang the made-up lyrics while simultaneously doing arm and head movements. I found it amazing that they can remember the lyrics to the song when none are actual words, so I ask Steve Jay, the band's bassist, how much practice it took to learn it. He said the song started off as just a short few lines of gibberish and every tour they add more and more on to the song. He said that since he has been touring with Weird Al since the early '80s "it has become tattooed on his cerebellum".
Everyone that was a part of the Weird Al tour and that worked for the MTS Centre was so nice to us. They really made us feel welcome, like we were a part of their team. After the show we got to go backstage and take a picture with Weird Al. He is so nice in person and very different from his onstage persona. Weird Al is wild, crazy and exploding with energy. Al Yankovic is a kind, nice father and husband who just happens to be a successful performer and parodist. He was so friendly to us and thanked us for being a part of his show.
It was a great night that I won't forget. When I'm an old, wrinkly lady I can tell my grandkids about the times that I got to perform onstage with Weird Al!
The song that the crowd was most excited for was Amish Paradise, the parody of Gangster's Paradise. Two fans even came to the show decked out in Amish style clothes with long fake beards.
The show ended with a 3-minute long song with lyrics that were literally gibberish. Weird Al, along with his bassist and guitarist sang the made-up lyrics while simultaneously doing arm and head movements. I found it amazing that they can remember the lyrics to the song when none are actual words, so I ask Steve Jay, the band's bassist, how much practice it took to learn it. He said the song started off as just a short few lines of gibberish and every tour they add more and more on to the song. He said that since he has been touring with Weird Al since the early '80s "it has become tattooed on his cerebellum".
Everyone that was a part of the Weird Al tour and that worked for the MTS Centre was so nice to us. They really made us feel welcome, like we were a part of their team. After the show we got to go backstage and take a picture with Weird Al. He is so nice in person and very different from his onstage persona. Weird Al is wild, crazy and exploding with energy. Al Yankovic is a kind, nice father and husband who just happens to be a successful performer and parodist. He was so friendly to us and thanked us for being a part of his show.
It was a great night that I won't forget. When I'm an old, wrinkly lady I can tell my grandkids about the times that I got to perform onstage with Weird Al!
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