Ween

You never really know what to expect from a Ween show. At least I didn’t. Having never seen the band before and going only by what is contained on the group’s six records, trying to figure out what I was in for made my brain swim. Part of me expected a full band consisting of several versatile musicians, accompanied by a myriad of samplers, sound-distortion devises and other sonic knick-knacks. The use of many devices and varied styles is what makes Ween what it is—music from the minds of Gene and Dean Ween, rife with influences ranging from country to Irish to heavy metal to new age to children’s music and show tunes to straight ahead rocknroll, with all the talent and wacky attitudeless posturing necessary to pull it off. That is a lot to live up to.

I have, unfortunately, gotten into the loathsome habit of missing opening acts, which usually works out okay, because in most cases the opening acts are wack. However, the opening band this particular night was the Oranj Symphonette, a peculiar instrumental group I have heard more about in the last year than any other unconventional act out there, yet have never had the chance to actually check out. And I missed it without even knowing until I arrived on the scene. Let that be a lesson about missing opening acts.

Ween was not anything like I expected. In fact, the whole evening was extremely informal, even for a rock show. The security was not extremely tight; I was barely searched at the door, and the stage security was a bare minimum (at one point, some jackass cleared the barrier and got on stage, where he talked Dean and Gene into playing a song that was the lowest point of the show, and he wasn’t kicked off the stage until the song was over—they did, however, turn off every mike he got near).

The band—Gene and Dean, a bass player, a keyboard man and a drummer, all of whom seemed like real professional musicians and long-time Ween fans and/or friends—strolled on stage nonchalantly and barefoot, as if they were playing in a living room full of friends. They spoke freely with the crowd throughout the evening, taking requests, cracking jokes, having fun. Gene and Dean were obviously wasted, and Gene even admitted, "I’ve been at a party, and I’m little fucked up." And why not—the Giants won the pennant earlier that day.

Ween opened the show with "Buckingham Green" off the group’s latest album, The Mollusk, a song that shows the mock philosophical side of the band ("a child without and eye/made his mother cry/why ask why"). What followed was a concert that was one of the best to come through this area in recent history. Ween rolled through three sets full of tunes from all its records. The first set was filled with classics like "Tick" (God Ween Satan), "Baby Bitch" (Chocolate and Cheese); "The Stallion" (The Pod); "Ocean Man" (The Mollusk), for which Gene played his new mandolin; and the highly requested "Piss Up A Rope" (12 Golden Country Hits).

The second set featured Gene on the acoustic guitar playing tunes like "The Blarney Stone" (The Mollusk) and "Buenos Tardes Amigo" (Chocolate and Cheese), the latter a Tex/Mex tune about deceit and revenge. The set also included favorites "Fat Lenny" (God Ween Satan) and "The HIV Song." The third set showed quite a bit of stamina and almost marked the breaking point of the Gene and Dean Ween. Dean mentioned to the crowd he was burned out, but kept going. Perhaps that’s because he shared the same sentiment with Gene, who kept telling the crowd how much fun he was having. Besides, they were, as Gene quipped, "kickin’ some ass."

Throughout the show the brothers Ween displayed impressive skills. Gene has vocal range—aided by a rack of distortion peddles—that is more impressive than a first-timer like myself would expect. He was joined in vocals by brother Dean, who really shined on guitar. He constantly threw out strong solos, full of everything from delicate flutters to loud, screaming licks that seem rooted in the large heavy-metal sound of the late 1980s. Tunes like "Dr. Rock" (The Pod) and "You Fucked Up" (God Ween Satan) show the butt-rocker in Dean’s style, and his work on much of the material off The Mollusk—though it caused him to bang his head just the same—displayed his ability and accuracy with his guitar.

Gene and Dean weren’t the only ones on the stage though; they had musicians of high caliber backing them up, sounding pretty good save the problems they seemed to be having with the sound system. The drummer’s talents stood out the most. A low-key, dreadlocked, bespectacled professional, he occasionally arose when his services weren’t needed, calmly walked over to the sound guy, and then returned, no sweat, to his post at the exact instant his services were needed. The keyboard player looked and played like a seasoned studio veteran and the bass player held down some serious funk and rock. All members of the band were awfully familiar with the band’s music, and that owes to either huge amounts of talent or the fact the group has been on the road together since July—probably a bit of both.

Ween closed the show with "L.M.L.Y.P.", a funk tune that smacks of early Prince influence. Gene dedicated the song to Jerry Garcia and the band proceeded to play on, each member taking an extended solo. The tune’s most notable catch phrase, "Shockadellica," echoed in The Warfield as Gene spouted it a number of times. Upon exiting the three-hour, three-set show, it became apparent by the kids sitting exhausted in the lobby that this had been simply more Ween than some could handle. But the rest of us couldn’t get enough of the shockadellica experience. It may have been the first Ween show for many like myself and it is doubtful that it will be the last.

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