TRAVERSE CITY — “Weird Al” Yankovic will return to the National Cherry Festival stage for a show plugged as “bigger” and “weirder.”
Cherry Fest officials announced Monday that Yankovic will perform on July 1, 2025, with an eight-piece ensemble for his signature many-costumed, comedy rock show. He is also bringing special guest Puddles Pity Party, a 7-foot sad clown with a “golden voice” who also tours with Primus.
Yankovic’s last time in Traverse City was in 2015, again at the Cherry Fest.
His is the first show announcement for the 2025 festival, as tickets will go on sale Sept. 27 with prices starting at $68.
Yankovic, 64, accrued four decades of comedy-rock and polka hits, including “Amish Paradise,” “Eat It,” “Like a Surgeon,” “Smells Like Nirvana,” “Word Crimes” and “White & Nerdy.” The Los Angeles husband and father is also a vegetarian, Christian, and abstains from profanity, drugs and alcohol. He won five Grammy awards, and has parodied many artists, including Madonna, Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson, Usher, Nirvana, Eminem, Queen, Lady Gaga and more. He got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018, and an Emmy for 2022’s “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” — also a parody.
Of his upcoming “Bigger and Weirder” tour that starts in June, Yankovic said he plans to play both his hits and songs that have never been played live before.
“This is kind of a ‘best of both worlds’ tour,” Yankovic said in a media statement. “We’ll be doing all the big crowd-pleasing parodies as well as some deep cuts for the hardcore fans.”
His only other Michigan venue listed is Pine Knob Music Theater on July 2.
Tickets start at $68 for general admission, reserved seats at $93, and VIP deck at $193 at 10 a.m. Cherry Fest also sells an eight-day general admission pass to all shows for $250, starting on Sept. 25. Tickets and more information at www.cherryfestival.org.