Strange Bedfellows? ‘Weird’ Al and Earth, Wind & Fire Take Over Venetian Theatre

Comedy rocker ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic will take the stage this summer at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas. (Image: Sthanlee B. Mirador / Sipa USA)

If there’s a theme to Las Vegas, it’s that anything is possible. And we see this dynamic play out in the diversity of performers that fill the city’s various entertainment venues. 

The Venetian Theatre – a tri-level, 1,800-seat venue originally designed in 2006 to look like the 19^th-century Opera Garnier in Paris for a reimagined version of Phantom of the Opera – will show its versatility this year by hosting funnyman “Weird” Al Yankovich, followed by the still-groovin’ Earth, Wind & Fire.

A Night with the Elder Statesman of Parody

From using just his accordion and a cajon drum at the start, parodist Yankovic has blazed a trail through musical history. 

That trailblazing attitude now extends to the Las Vegas Strip as, in June, Yankovic will start his “Bigger & Weirder 2025 Tour.” For two long weekends in June, Yankovic will bring the zaniness of his catalog to delighted fans. 

On these dates, Weird Al will take to the stage of the Venetian Theatre:

June 13
June 14
June 15
June 18
June 20
June 21

Joining Yankovic for the show will be Puddles Pity Party, a unique vocalist who is seven feet tall and performs dressed as a clown. “We’ll be performing all the big crowd-pleasing parodies, as well as some deep cuts for the hardcore fans,” Yankovic said, “but with twice as many players on stage, everything is going to sound twice as good!” The Las Vegas residency will only serve as the kickoff for the Bigger & Weirder 2025 Tour, a schedule that will go across the U.S. and finish in September. 

Yankovic has become the most notable parodist in the history of music. Taking popular songs and reworking them into humorous retakes, “Weird” Al first appeared on the Dr. Demento Radio Show with a parody of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” becoming “Another One Rides the Bus” about public transportation. Yankovic was signed to a record deal in 1980 and, for the past forty-plus years, has continued to deliver his brand of musical entertainment. 

As of Mandatory Fun, Yankovic’s last album in 2014, he has sold twelve million albums and compiled more than 150 different parodies of popular songs. “Weird” Al was arguably a product of the MTV Generation, creating fifty-plus videos where the comedic stylings were just as important as the music. Perhaps surprisingly, Yankovic has won five Grammys, an Emmy, and had two films (UHF and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) which have been loosely based on his life. 

Groovin’ with R&B Masters Earth, Wind & Fire

After the wackiness of the Yankovic Experience, leave it to some legendary R&B masters to take over the Venetian Theatre stage. Earth, Wind & Fire will take the Las Vegas Strip in October, with nine dates that will cover the month. The October residency will serve as a conclusion for their Summer Tour 2025, which will see the funk meisters tour primarily west of the Mississippi.

Verdine White (center, on bass), seen here at the FireAid benefit concert in California, are showing that Earth, Wind & Fire are still grooving across the decades. (Image: Jordan Strauss / AP)

The current incarnation of EWF is highlighted by the presence of bassist Verdine White, drummer Ralph Johnson, and vocalist Philip Bailey, who harken back to the start of the band in the early Seventies. These men, along with Bailey’s son (also named Philip), will take to the Venetian Theatre stage on these nine dates in October:

October 10
October 11
October 12
October 15
October 17
October 18
October 22
October 24
October 25

Founded in Chicago in the late Sixties, EWF has been a dominant force in the world of funk, soul, and R&B over the past fifty years. Original member Maurice White (who passed away in 2016) brought the group together, who provided the tunes “September,” “After the Love Has Gone,” and “Let’s Groove” during their prominence in the Seventies. From their legacy, they have sold over 90 million albums worldwide. 

They have also received many kudos from the world of music. The band has received six Grammy Awards, a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement, and four American Music Awards. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003. Earth, Wind & Fire have also been honored with the NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a BET Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Soul Train Legend Award.

Tickets for both of these shows are available at Ticketmaster or through the Venetian Theatre. You will rarely have the opportunity to experience such diversity, and the Venetian Theatre is providing that chance in 2025.