'Weird Al' Yankovic conducts the Jr. Philharmonic

Here I am conducting the Jr. Philharmonic Orchestra of California at the 54th annual "Battle of Batons" (May 29, 1991).

[hyperpowerfulform]

Judging by the way he belts out *"ONE! TWO!! THREE!!! FOUR!!!!"* at the absolute top of his voice, I'd say that he was waiting to do this his entire life.

[tubadylan]

I played first trombone at this concert. I’ll never forget it!

[QuadrupleJane]

My mom said the same. When I asked for concert tickets for Christmas "to a Weird Al" concert, she said, "No, he's weird."
....yes, mom. That's his name.

[garfocusalternate]

Weird Al is actually a real life Looney Tunes character.

[benjaminstokes]

Um....I was actually in that group, I was in 11th grade at the time. You can see me playing clarinet in the middle back near the percussion. I remember not being able to play from about the second half on because I was laughing. Thanks, Al. Good times, man.

[scionofgrace]

It's like a live action version of those old "Bugs Bunny conducts an orchestra" cartoons!

[lune]

Now THAT is how you conduct an orchestra.

[legionaireb]

The best part is that I think some of the performers are ACTUALLY trying to follow him.

[mrslovvet]

Sometimes there are videos on Youtube that I would really love backstory to. This is one of them.

[NYCentralSpotter]

I can never take Carmen seriously again after watching Weird Al's

[gonzogranny]

Just the fact that Mr Weird Al is STILL conducting the orchestra with his arms and legs amazes me.

[LittleFugueFlute]

On one hand, I would love to be part of a show like this someday.  On the other hand, I seriously doubt I'd be able to stop from at least smiling too much to effectively play my flute.

[thewalliest]

I absolutely love that even through the crazy movements he’s still legitimately conducting! What an absolute legend!

[fivestringsword]

All the grace and charm (and limberness) of a Looney Tunes character.

[haberk]

As wild as he gets up there, he must have a fantastic sense of his flailing limbs and erratic movements to avoid knocking over the music stand or falling off the platform.

[annadeyoung]

This makes me wonder if conductors just stand there looking stupid because the musicians know what to do

[aaronanthony]

i cant even watch this without thinking about my band conductor trying it.

[NickThomas]

Nothing should be taken too seriously. Especially music. Weird Al understands this.

[OkGoGirl]

I burst out laughing when I heard him scream "1, 2 3, 4!"

[MaxSMoke]

I like how everybody in the orchestra is doing their best not to pay attention to him. Every eye is down on the paper, concentrating as hard as they can.