“Weird Al” Yankovic set for July 26 show on Maine State Pier in Portland

Photo by Kristine Slipson

Photo by Kristine Slipson

“Weird” Al Yankovic, musician, beloved song parodist and pop cultural icon who recently was the first comedian to hit the top of the Billboard charts with a new record in over 50 years, will make a stop on his summer-long, more than 60-date “Mandatory Fun” tour at the Maine State Pier in Portland on Sunday, July 26. Tickets for the outdoor concert, part of the Machias Savings Bank concert series and promoted by Waterfront Concerts, go on sale via Ticketmaster.com at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 30, or by calling Ticketmaster 1-800-745-3000 or visiting Mark’s Music in Brewer in person. Prices for various seating arrangement tickets for the Pier show start at $18 and go up to $52; a special pre-sale for fans of “Weird Al” goes on sale at 10 a.m. Jan. 27 via weirdal.com.

Slated to visit over one hundred cities throughout North America, Europe, and Australia, the tour follows the release of Weird Al’s number one album, “Mandatory Fun.” The album was released on July 15, 2014 and immediately shot to the first position on Billboard’s Top 200 Album chart, which is the first time in over 50 years that a comedy album has topped the charts, and the first time ever that a comedy album debuted in the top position. “Mandatory Fun” has also been nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Comedy Album.

Since debuting on the Dr. Demento radio show in 1976, “Weird Al” has sold more than 12 million records and recorded more than 150 parody songs, from “Like a Surgeon” to “Amish Paradise” to “White & Nerdy.” He appeared in the criminally overlooked 1980s comedy classic “UHF” and had a short-lived TV show, “The Weird Al Show.” He is an accomplished accordion player and is a vegan.

Emily Burnham

About Emily Burnham

Emily Burnham is a Maine native, UMaine graduate, proud Bangorian and a writer for the Bangor Daily News, where she's worked since 2004. She reports on everything from local bands to local food to all the cool things going on in the Greater Bangor area. In her quest for stories, she's seen countless concerts and plays, been lobster fishing, interviewed celebrities, hung out with water buffalo and played in a ukulele orchestra. She's interested in everything that happens in Maine.