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‘Weird Al’ Yankovic to bring full symphony orchestra tour to The Met Philadelphia

This is the first time he has performed in Philly since 2015.

"Weird Al" Yankovic backstage at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015. (Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
"Weird Al" Yankovic backstage at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015. (Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times/TNS)Read moreLawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times/TNS

"Weird Al" Yankovic will perform at The Met Philadelphia this summer as part of his newly announced "Strings Attached" symphony orchestra tour.

The parody music artist will perform at the Met July 12, with tickets set to go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m.. As Yankovic wrote in an announcement, the dates will feature his biggest hits backed by a full symphony orchestra, but it will be "a different orchestra in each city."

"Sometimes it will be a 'branded' local orchestra (like, say, the Colorado Symphony), and other times we'll basically just be putting together our own orchestra with local musicians," Yankovic wrote.

In another first, Yankovic's performance will also include live background singers. Previously, as Live for Live Music reports, Yankovic featured female backup singers Lisa Popeil, Monique Donnelly, and Scottie Haskell on studio recordings only. Longtime band members guitarist Jim West, bassist Steve Young, drummer Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, and pianist Ruben Valtierra will also perform on the tour.

Yankovic last performed in Philadelphia in 2015 at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts as part of his so-called "Mandatory" world tour. Earlier this year, he played Lancaster and Atlantic City in stops on his "Ridiculously Self-Indulgent Ill-Advised Vanity Tour."

Kicking off in June in Clearwater, Florida, Yankovic's tour will run the length of the Summer of 2019 before wrapping up in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Currently, just one Philadelphia area date is scheduled.

The Met, which opens with a performance by Bob Dylan on Tuesday, Dec. 3, also recently announced bookings for Gary Clark Jr. on March 29, and Tedeschi Trucks on Feb. 26.