“Weird Al” Yankovic has returned to NPR’s Tiny Desk, marking his first performance at the venue in over 15 years. The parodist last played a Tiny Desk Concert in 2010, bringing his classic band in an acoustic formation for a three-song set. This time, however, he brought his full, plugged-in band into the office space and played a mix of parodies, pastiches, and originals.
For the takeoffs, he brought out his online shopping ode “eBay” (Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way”) and the classic Star Wars – Episode 1 recap “The Saga Beings” (Don McLean’s “American Pie”). Deep cut Weezer-esque “Skipper Dan” from 2011’s Alpocalypse opened the four-song performance, and the Emmy-nominated “Now You Know” recounted the hard, 100% completely true facts of the 2022 biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.
Upcoming Tour Dates
Weird Al Yankovic is set to embark on the latest leg of his “BIGGER & WEIRDER Tour”. Fans can catch him at various venues across the US and Canada, with tickets available via Vivid Seats. The tour kicks off on August 28th in St. Paul, MN, and will make stops in cities such as Grand Forks, ND, Winnipeg, MB, and Vancouver, BC.
But the true highlight of Weird Al Yankovic’s Tiny Desk Concert might just be someone behind him – guitarist Payton Rose Velligan, who is clearly thrilled to be playing for a legend like “Weird Al”. A quick look into her bio reveals she’s also a 5th gup in Korean martial art Tang Soo Do and got her start in a RUSH tribute band.
Other Projects
Weird Al Yankovic may be big enough to turn down offers “if it makes me feel icky”, such as rejecting $1 million to perform at last year’s Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia and “a nice pile of money” for a AI software ad. However, he’s still getting even bigger (and weirder) in 2026. He’s bringing his 1989 movie UHF to the big screen for a live orchestra performance in LA, releasing the movie’s score soundtrack for the first time ever, and working on a Broadway jukebox musical called Dare to Be Stupid.
Weird Al Yankovic’s 2026 tour dates are as follows:
08/28 – St. Paul, MN @ Minnesota State Fair Grandstand Concert Series
08/29 – Grand Forks, ND @ Alerus Center
08/30 – Winnipeg, MB @ Canada Life Centre
09/01 – Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place
09/02 – Kelowna, BC @ Prospera Place
09/03 – Vancouver, BC @ PNE Fair Summer Night Concerts – Freedom Mobile Arch
09/05 – Puyallup, WA @ Columbia Bank Concert Series at the Washington State Fair
09/06 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater
09/07 – Salem, OR @ Columbia Bank Concert Series at the Oregon State Fair
09/09 – Central Point, OR @ Bi-Mart Amphitheater
09/11 – Lincoln, CA @ The Venue at Thunder Valley Casino Resort
09/12 – Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
09/13 – Palm Desert, CA @ Acrisure Arena
09/15 – Paso Robles, CA @ Viña Robles Amphitheatre
09/16 – San Diego, CA @ The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
09/18 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
09/19 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
09/20 – Tucson, AZ @ Tucson Arena
09/22 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
09/23 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Raising Cane’s River Center Arena
09/25 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena
09/26 – Southaven, MS @ Landers Center
09/27 – Knoxville, TN @ Food City Center
09/29 – Auburn, AL @ The Gogue Center
09/30 – Tallahassee, FL @ Donald L. Tucker Civic Center
10/02 – Birmingham, AL @ Coca-Cola Amphitheater
10/03 – Orange Beach, AL @ The Wharf Amphitheater
10/04 – Brandon, MS @ Brandon Amphitheater
10/06 – Chattanooga, TN @ Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium
10/07 – Salem, VA @ Salem Civic Center
10/08 – Charlottesville, VA @ John Paul Jones Arena
10/10 – Toledo, OH @ Huntington Center
10/11 – University Park, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center
10/13 – Peoria, IL @ Peoria Civic Center Arena
10/15 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
10/16 – Green Bay, WI @ Resch Center
10/17 – Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum
10/31 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theater (UHF Live-to-Screen with Orchestra and Live Q&A)
In conclusion, Weird Al Yankovic is back and better than ever, with a new Tiny Desk Concert, an upcoming tour, and various other projects in the works. Fans can catch him on tour and experience his unique brand of humor and music. With his impressive career spanning decades, Weird Al Yankovic continues to entertain and inspire audiences of all ages.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte, widely regarded as the “Shakespeare of Sh*tposts,” is a video game expert with a unique knack for turning pixels into punchlines.
Born in the small town of Respawn, Pennsylvania, Pixel grew up mashing buttons on an ancient NES controller, firmly believing that “blowing into the cartridge” was a sacred ritual passed down through generations.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte: proving that life, much like a buggy open-world game, is better with a little lag-induced chaos.
