Expo performance will be comedian’s first live Canadian performance on current tour

Weird-Alresized

The Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo running April 26 – 28 at the BMO Centre this year with singer/comedian, Weird Al Yankovic attending for the first time. Yankovic has become well known in pop culture via his trademark song parodies, spoofing a plethora of artists such as Madonna, Green Day and Lady Gaga.

Kandrix Foong, the Calgary Expo’s director and head organizer, said organizers have been waiting a long time to bring the artist to the expo.

“Whenever we’ve brainstormed bringing a musical element to our event, Weird Weird-Al-PhotWeird Al is set to come to the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo April 26.

Photo courtesy of Antmantrunks/Wikimedia CommonsAl was always our first choice. He is a staple in modern pop culture — his parodies have accompanied the changing musical landscape over the last 30 years,” Foong says.

“Al will entertain 3 generations of our fans and we’re completely ecstatic that this will be his first ever comic-con experience.”

Calgary Journal reporter Jeff Medhurst recently had a chance to speak with Yankovic. Listen to their conversation here. Questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Yankovic, reached at his home in California, said he attended the Comic Con in San Diego but added the Calgary event will be his first gig as an official guest. Yancovic said he’s most looking forward to entertaining his fans with a concert at the Saddledome on Friday April 26, — the opening night of the expo.

“We haven’t done a live show in Canada for this tour. We shot our concert special in Toronto, but aside from that we haven’t done a whole lot of dates in Canada, so we’re looking forward to coming up there,” Yankovic said.

The Calgary event, now in its eighth year, has hosted some big names including the entire cast of Star Trek The Next Generation and Spiderman creator, Stan Lee who is returning this year for an encore appearance.

jmedhurst@cjournal.ca

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