BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A musical comedian whose parodies of popular songs have topped the charts for more than 40 years will headline Musikfest’s main Steel Stage in August, it was announced Monday.
“Weird Al” Yankovic, best known for turning Michael Jackson’s 1984 hit “Beat It” into the parody “Eat It” for a Top 15 hit that was certified gold, will perform at 7 p.m. Aug. 4, it was announced on Yankovic's website.
Opening the show will be Puddles Pity Party, the 7-foot clown from Atlanta, Georgia, with a golden voice sings operatic versions of songs such as Lorde’s hit “Royals.”
Tickets, the prices of which were not immediately announced, go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Friday at the ArtsQuest Center box office.ArtsQuest
Tickets, the prices of which were not immediately announced, go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Friday at the ArtsQuest Center box office at 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem,on the ArtsQuest website and 610-332-3378.
It is the second headline act announced for Musikfest’s 43rd year, which will run July 31-Aug. 9. It has not been announced whether there will be a preview night on July 30.
The first act for next year’s festival, country singer Bailey Zimmerman, was announced earlier Monday.
Yankovic, 66, began releasing parodies in 1979, with “My Bologna," a parody of The Knack’s smash hit “My Sharona.”
But he didn’t hit the charts until 1983’s “Ricky,” a parody of Toni Basil’s chart-topping hit “Hey Mickey.” That song helped make his self-titled debut album hit the Top 20 go gold.
His biggest success
But the song that made Yankovic a star was 1984’s “Eat It,” which won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording.
He followed it with the minor hits “King of Suede” (a parody of The Police hit “King of Pain”) and “I Lost on Jeopardy” (a parody of Greg Kihn Band’s “Jeopardy,” and his sophomore album “Weird Al Yankovic in 3-D,” hit platinum and hit No. 17 on the Albums chart.
Yankovic had his biggest success with 1996’s “Bad Hair Day,” which sold double platinum on the strength of the song "Amish Paradise," a parody of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise.”Billboard charts
His 1985 follow-up album “Dare to be Stupid,” also sold platinum with the Top 50 hit "Like a Surgeon," a parody of Madonna’s hit “Like a Virgin.”
A 1988 album, “Even Worse,” also went platinum and peaked at No. 27, featuring the Top 100 hit “Fat,” a parody of Michael Jackson’s hit “Bad,” which won a Grammy for Best Concept Music Video.
Yankovic continued to have gold and platinum albums with 1992’s “Off the Deep End,” which also peaked at No. 17; 1993’s “Alapalooza,” and 1999’s “Running with Scissors.”
He had his biggest success with 1996’s “Bad Hair Day,” which sold double platinum on the strength of the song "Amish Paradise," a parody of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise.”
Area performances on smaller stages
His 2006 album “Straight Outta Lynwood,” was his last to sell gold or platinum, and the first to hit the Top 10 on the Albums chart, at No. 10.
Its lead single, "White & Nerdy," a parody of Chamillionaire's hit single "Ridin'," became his first to hit the Top 10, peaking at No. 9, and is Yankovic’s only platinum hit.
Yankovic played Wind Creek Event Center, then known as Sands Bethlehem Event Center, in 2015 and 2013, and played Allentown’s Miller Symphony Hall in 2012.Concert listings
His 2011 album “Alpocalypse” was nominated for two Grammys Awards.
His final album of new material was 2014’s “Mandatory Fun,” which became his only chart-topper. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.
Five compilation albums by Yankovic also reached gold or platinum sales.
Yankovic has continued to release songs as singles, most recently 2024’s “Polkamania,” which incorporated more than a dozen radio hits — including Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off,” Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire,” Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” and Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” — into a medley.
Yankovic has had 14 Grammy Award nominations and won three.
Yankovic has played the Lehigh Valley several times before, but always on much smaller stages.
Yankovic played Wind Creek Event Center, then known as Sands Bethlehem Event Center, in 2015 and 2013, and played Allentown’s Miller Symphony Hall in 2012.
