Weird Al Getting To Play Madison Square Garden Was a Dream Come True

This summer, Dustin (very graciously) let me use my position at this site to ask Weird Al Yankovic to play my kids’ favorite song when we saw him in concert. It was their first concert, and I wanted it to be a night they wouldn’t forget. The man has been my favorite performer for as long as I can remember, and sharing him with my sons has been one of the best things I’ve ever gotten to do in my life. No matter what, I was going to have a great time. But y’all, he played the song.

My wife, my kids, and I, all clad in Hawaiian shirts, saw Al take over Madison Square Garden back in July. It was one of the greatest nights of my life. The song in question was the theme to the 2018 Captain Underpants movie. My kids lit up when it played, but they were also dialed in (and a bit awestruck) for the whole show. They laughed, got a little overstimulated, and passed out the moment we got them to a bed. Turns out, that night was pretty special for Mr. Yankovic as well.

The Weird One had never played MSG before, and not only did he do so, but he sold that puppy out. Last night, he joined Stephen Colbert to talk about the momentous occasion, reflecting on the fact that he was still working in a mailroom when he first got on the Billboard charts. He was also often told at the beginning of his career that he wouldn’t last. Now, 46 years later, he’s still kicking and making dreams come true.

It’s incredible to see someone you admire talk about a moment that meant so much to them that you were there for. I’ve never had that experience. But it felt surreal to see him post about discussing the show when I was scrolling for links this morning. There was also a tremendous amount of buildup to the show on my end (and his as well, I assume), and then, it was just kind of over. The impact lives on, as my kids regularly ask me to play his music (and have ruined my wife’s Spotify Wrapped), but the moment went by so quickly.

Luckily, not only do I have Al recounting the memory on TV, but clever YouTube users may discover that, while the MSG show isn’t posted in its entirety, some of his other tour dates are, and they contain strikingly similar performances (wink wink nudge nudge). He’ll also be going on tour again in 2026, and I am seriously considering taking my children once more. Who knows if they’ll get another chance to see him?

Weird Al also took a moment to record a holiday greeting that doubles as a way for him to complain about mispronouncing his name. It’s just as silly as you’d expect, and I’m going to add that on here as well, because it’s almost the weekend and you deserve something nice.