Weird Al Concert - August 22, 2025 at Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, California

Event poster for our show

Dawn and I traveled to Mountain View, California, to attend the 22 August 2025 "Weird Al" Yankovic concert at Shoreline Amphitheatre. 

This represents our 7th Weird Al concert:

1. 2007 - San Joaquin County Fair, Stockton, California
2. 2010 - California State Fair, Sacramento, California
3. 2013 - California State Fair, Sacramento, California
4. 2015 - Showroom at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada (we won the “Weird Al” Yankovic Mandatory World Tour Contest)
5. 2018 - The Golden State Theatre, Monterey, California 
6. 2019 - The Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley
7. 2025 - Shoreline Amphitheatre 

Getting There 

Parked on Old Middlefield Way. Walked over the pedestrian bridge and through the Google complex. Ate at Zareen's Indian & Pakistani take-out restaurant. This time I had a Tikka/Madras Burrito Wrap with Paneer Tikka, and Dawn had a Naan Wrap with Veggie Samosa and a side of Tikka sauce. We shared a Mango Lassi.

Walked to Shoreline Amphitheatre. Noticeably less chaotic than the July 4 concerts. They had closed-off the escalators and routed everyone to the sidewalk access. This time Dawn had a clear-plastic shoulder-bag, so no problems with security. 

Pre-Show

Used the restrooms, took a photo in front of the marquee sign, and walked to the merch tent. Purchased two CD's by Steve Jay: 1) Physical Answer (2008); and 2) Off-Bass (2025). Dawn purchased the black tour dates shirt. Bought a non-alcoholic sparkling berry drink. Felt a bit embarrassed because we were standing next to a young couple and they were in line ahead of us, but the cashier I guess decided they weren't ready and called on us first. They were gracious about it, thankfully. 

Found our seats, Section 102, Row H, which was pretty good spot. As we sat down, the man to my immediate left sat down and snapped off his belt-mounted mobile phone case (his phone was OK, I think he was holding it). He and his partner seemed justifiably unhappy but rolled with it. I think I overheard him eventually saying he found he could just buy the side that broke, which he was grateful for. Over the course of the opener and concert his enthusiasm endeared him to me : ) He asked if we had seen Puddles Pity Party before and I was a bit confused if he meant live, so I said no, even though we'd seen him online. "Our people". 

Puddles Pity Party opened the show. What a voice. Great entertainer. He had a running joke about Kevin Costner, showing video montages of his various film appearances while he sang. He invited 2 people on stage to help him--the first to play a fake guitar with him, and the second to don a tequila-bottle costume for a sad song he sang in Spanish. He had a song mocking pumpkin spice, where a man in an inflatable pumpkin costume walked around. He threw quite a few guitar picks and a few adults dashed forward to snag a few. 

The weather was warm but a bit breezy, so we put on our jackets. Stadium and lawn seemed sold-out. 

Weird Al Concert

The show was entertaining. This time they had three women in the band as backup musicians: 1) Payton Rose Velligan; 2) Monique Donnelly; and 3) Scheila Gonzalez. Probyn Gregory appeared as well. Stage manager Hawkeye was there for bit parts (Santa suit, harmonica, Segway, etc.).

Confetti cannons shot red and white streamers during Canadian Idiot, and I think a second time as well. 

During the Tacky off-stage performance (shown on video), a helper put a whipped-cream pie on Puddles Pity Party's face.  

The show had a seconds-long speaker glitch during the second song. Steve Jay was indicating trouble with his sound setup early on, but it seemed they figured it out. Overall I'd have preferred dropping the bass levels and overall volume about 10%, but it was manageable. 

Drummer Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz had a 180-degree plexiglass wall in front of his kit, perhaps to shield his drums from the bubbles released during an early song. 

Al's fat suit looked a bit slimmer than previous years. 

During "One More Minute", he walked the aisle and gave scarves and a pair of heart-shaped underpants to fans.

Reddit confirms the Yoda Chant at the end does get extended a bit during each tour.  

Overall, I was a bit tired this time, and by Stop Forwarding That Crap to Me I was content. Weird Al's voice seemed a bit raspier than I remembered, his hair was thinner, but he still gave his all. The crowd was happy, and we got through it without any problems.

Set list:

1. Fun Zone
2. Tacky
3. Mission Statement
4. Polkamania!
5. Drum Solo
6. Everything You Know Is Wrong
7. One More Minute
8. Another One Rides the Bus (video from Weird: The Al Yankovic Story)
9. Smells Like Nirvana
10. Dare to Be Stupid
11. Party in the CIA / It's All About the Pentiums / Bedrock Anthem / My Bologna / Ricky / Ode to a Superhero / I Love Rocky Road / Eat It / Like a Surgeon / Word Crimes / Canadian Idiot
12. Fat
13. Captain Underpants Theme Song
14. Now You Know
15. Happy Together (The Turtles cover) (with Puddles Pity Party)
16. It’s My World (and We’re All Living in It)
17. Skipper Dan
18. Drum Solo (Reprise)
19. eBay
20. Stop Forwarding That Crap to Me
21. White & Nerdy
22. Amish Paradise
23. Encore:
1. Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 (Johann Sebastian Bach cover)
2. We All Have Cell Phones
3. The Saga Begins
4. Yoda

Songs by album:

• Others: 4
• Captain Underpants Theme Song 
• Party in the CIA / It's All About the Pentiums / Bedrock Anthem / My Bologna / Ricky / Ode to a Superhero / I Love Rocky Road / Eat It / Like a Surgeon / Word Crimes / Canadian Idiot
• Polkamania!
• We All Have Cell Phones
• Dare to Be Stupid (1985): 3
• Alpocalypse (2011): 2
• Bad Hair Day (1996): 2
• Mandatory Fun (2014): 2
• Drum Solos: 2
• Covers: 2
• Even Worse (1988): 1
• Medium Rarities (2017): 1
• Off the Deep End (1992): 1
• Poodle Hat (2003): 1
• Running With Scissors (1999): 1
• Straight Outta Lynwood (2006): 1
• Weird: The Al Yankovic Story: Original Soundtrack (2022): 1 

 

Post-Show

As we exited we saw a long line waiting for what seemed like a meet-and-greet.

Walked out to the Permanente Creek Trail, avoiding people vaping and blowing smoke carelessly. 🤬  Pretty empty compared to the crush of people on July 4--perhaps more come out in the surrounding areas to watch the fireworks as well. Drove home and crashed. 

Coda

The next day I had moderate bowel problems--maybe too much dairy & cheese (?)  Haven't felt anything like it in some time, so I'm hesitant to say it was Zareen's (it was Zareen's). Not painful, just very, very bloated. First time that happened after eating there, so probably will fall back to getting the Naan wrap next time and skipping the paneer burrito. 

July 4th - San Francisco Symphony at Shoreline Amphitheatre

Attended the Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular at Shoreline Amphitheatre with The San Francisco Symphony (Edwin Outwater conducting) and Taimane (ukelele).

GETTING THERE

Parked along Old Middlefield Way, Mountain View (south of US 101). Walked along Permanente Creek Trail, up and over US 101, then took a right, walking past the Google Alta Garage project: "California artist Kim West with curation and R&D by SPMDesign, the kinetic art facade called Ode to Bohemia No. 5 (Inexhaustible Blooms) was inspired by the local, native plant landscape, and consists of 97,500 colorful metallic pieces that reflect different tones throughout the day. "

Ate an early meal at Zareen's, a woman-owned Pakastani restaurant: Naan wrap (veggie samosa & side Tikka sauce); Beef chapli burger with cheese & side of masala fries; and a mango lassi. They took in-person orders via a kiosk with a touchscreen. We received a text with our order number, but never received the follow-up text letting us know the order was ready for pickup. Instead, an employee exited and yelled our number--which seems like some fuzzy memory of what happened on our first visit in 2023. The food was excellent. Glad I skipped the dessert (Firnee - Homemade Rice Pudding).

We took our time walking to Shoreline, stopping along the way at the Dragonscale-canopy building--now owned by Google and housing the Google Visitor Experience--to spin the public art piece Rockspinner, by Zachary Coffin: "First patented in 1869 by a Parisian bicycle mechanic, ball bearings played a pivotal role in the industrial revolution, making the new machinery operate more efficiently by reducing friction. They also let you spin this multi-ton boulder with your fingertips!" I got it revolving at a decent speed, to which a person walking by said, "Faster! Faster!" 😅 I felt a bit anxious at it's mass and people darting around it while it spun 😰 

A few minutes later we heard voices amplified by bullhorn, which turned out to be event staff directing traffic into the parking area. We went down an escalator, staying to the right. A young disheveled couple passed us without incident on our left and apologized for their speed, saying they wanted to catch up to their friends just ahead. This year we got in line on the eastern entrance. The lines were quite long but moved moderately fast. Event staff encouraged families with members in wheelchairs or with small children to use the expedited ADA entrance. Bags were strictly limited this year--clear-plastic only and very small (see web site for details). Dawn's small purse was deemed an item to be checked until she went to retrieve her prescription meds, at which point they quickly and kindly volunteered to check her purse due to a medication exception. We'll look for an alternative purse for future visits. 

At the security gates we held up my phone to the QR-code scanner, though the attendant at our line was distracted by conversation with another guest and not even paying us attention. 

SF SYMPHONY 

We purchased a "classic margarita" (double) and a churro, enjoying them at a picnic table next to the balloon-animal station. After a few popped balloons, we moved along to our seats.

We sat in section 101, row E this year. Visibility was pretty good. A comedian in a nice blue-checkered suit did a set--mostly jokes about aging. To our left was an elderly couple, a veteran and his wife. They enjoyed the jokes and sat respectfully. He did occasionally let out an ear-shattering whistle which left my ears ringing 😵‍💫 So every time after that I clapped with one hand on my knee and kept my left hand covering my left ear. 

Edwin Outwater conducted this year. As the performers seated themselves, we observed minor details, like the cellist having a comfort bib on the back of their cello, the various colors of stain on the instruments, the various shades of white and off-white, the styles of sport coats and dresses. Happy to see a black man, Joshua Elmore, playing a bassoon: "The San Francisco Symphony is appointing its first Black principal player in more than 50 years, marking a significant step forward for the 113-year-old orchestra." They also had a woman in the percussion, though I do not see her listed on their principals page. (Dawn says it is not unusual for a woman to play percussion). As in previous years, Margo Kieser--music librarian and Nancy & Charles Geschke Chair--distributed music to each performer. I noted at least one pair of performers (e.g., cellists) where one person took responsibility for turning pages of the sheet music while the other continued playing. It looked to me like a classic Sith master/apprentice relationship, but Dawn just shook her head. 🙃

After a 35-40-minute first set, the symphony took a break and stagehands adjusted the seating for Taimane, a multi-instrument group centered around ukulele player Taimane Gardner. They wore colorful dresses and head-wreaths of tropical flowers and greenery. A male member of the group performed traditional dances in various costumes. I think Taimane played about 4-5 songs. She plays ukulele confidently, in bare feet, stretching dramatically into poses while staring intently. The male dancer briefly danced with an audience member. We observed his earlier dances a bit anxiously, as he jumped over large floor monitors, cables, and whirled quite close to the seated musicians. 😅 One member played a cajón, a "box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru". While she hails from Puerto Rico, it seems she now lives in San Francisco. The rhythm guitarist was also from Hawaii and seems to have a day job as an engineer. The violinist was born in Washington Heights, Manhattan. 

After Taimane's set, they exited, and the SF Symphony immediately pivoted into performing during the fireworks. An enormous flag was lowered behind them. Fireworks this year looked great. Our seats gave us a clear sightline, unlike when we sat on the middle or opposite side, where the overhanging canopy slightly blocks the view. 

Dawn correctly noted the final song of the night was inevitable: "Seventy-Six Trombones". 

GOING HOME 

As we exited en masse, Dawn noticed the Taimane merch table, so we purchased a sticker and the 4 CDs they had: 1) Ukulele Dance (2012); 2) We Are Made of Stars (2015); 3) Elemental (2018); and 4) Hawaiki (2022). They also sold black tee shirts, earrings, etc. Taimane was available for signing and photos. It was by chance we exited and saw the merch table--in previous years we exited the other side and would have missed it. 

The walk back to our car was uneventful. I turned on my phone flashlight and we ambled along with everyone else. Traffic was gridlocked. However, on Old Middlefield Way, we drove without any delay onto southbound US 101 🌟  On the drive home, we watched other fireworks displays, and took it easy in case others were driving while drunk. 

Running Journal - 2024-07-04 (Off day)

July 4th Shoreline Fireworks Concert with SF Symphony

Off day - Happy Fourth of July! (walked a few miles to/from Shoreline Amphitheatre)