Hear All 77 Covers ‘Weird Al’ Played on 2018 Tour

Earlier this week, “Weird Al” Yankovic wrapped up his Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour after 77 shows across North America. It was unlike anything he’d done in his long career, setting aside nearly all of his famous parody songs (with the exception of a quick medley at the end) and focusing on his original compositions.

“I’m at a point in my life and career where I can do whatever I feel like doing, regardless of whether it’s commercial, or whether it’s something people actually want to go see,” Yankovic told Rolling Stone shortly before it started. “I know this tour is going to be held in high regard by the hardcore fans, but more than anything, this is for me and the guys in the band because this is a tour that we’re going to really enjoy doing.”

The encore section of every single show kicked off with a different cover song. They ranged from classic rock hits (“Free Bird,” “Cinnamon Girl”) to punk classics (“God Save The Queen,” “I Wanna Be Sedated”) and 1970s AM Gold (“Close To You,” “Fire & Rain.”) He never did the same song twice, giving his longtime band a great chance to showcase their incredible range. Now that it’s done, he’s put together a 27-minute YouTube video containing snippets of every song in sequence, kicking off with “Smoke On The Water” on February 27th and wrapping up, appropriately enough, with “School’s Out” on June 10th.

“Weird Al” is taking a long deserved break for the rest of the year, but he’s already looking ahead. “Al and the band will be back out on the road again (with a much different kind of tour) in 2019,” a new message reads on his website, “stay tuned for more details!”