Las Vegas has always been a special place for Ween. Guitarist Dean Ween (Mickey Melchiondo) called the band’s November 14th, 1994 show at the Huntridge Theater “one of the best nights of our lives.” After playing the show—which produced the mammoth 30-minute Paintin’ The Town Brown “Vallejo”—high on mushrooms, “I won 300 bucks in the hotel casino and we all got onstage with the lounge band and sang ‘My Girl’ while tripping our brains out,” he recalls in the album’s liner notes.
Fast forward a little over a quarter century, and Ween has made three-night runs at the Las Vegas Brooklyn Bowl a semi-regular and always-anticipated event. With the luxury of three nights to stretch out in a cushy residency worthy of the Strip, the alt-rock weirduo of Dean and Gene Ween (Aaron Freeman) and their ace backing band Claude Coleman Jr. (drums), Dave Dreiwitiz (bass), and Glenn McLelland (keys) are able to commit to deep-dives of the band’s catalog. Songs are taken up off the shelf, given a good dust-off, and presented to the hungry masses and even stand the chance of becoming regular fixtures in the group’s expansive repertoire.
This year’s Las Vegas run had even more cause for celebration. Smack dab in the middle of the March 16th–18th stay fell Papa Gene Ween’s 53rd birthday, which also just so happens to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day. On top of that, the Vegas run signaled Ween’s first shows of the year. This three-night stint set the tone for the year ahead, and per a recent interview with Dreiwitz, it’s going to be a big year ahead with “almost a two-week tour” coming, a rarity for the weekend warriors. With the far-reaching three-night run, fans got a chance to see what Ween has in store for 2023.
Ween’s first show of the year was marked by ups and downs. On the plus side, the setlist was loaded with rarities including “Seconds”, “Mango Woman” (performed for only the sixth time ever), “Transitions”, and “Koko”. The biggest surprise came during the encore, however, as Ween played the scathing “If You Love Me” for the first time since 4/20/95 in Australia, per Brownbase.
Even with those exciting additions, the band couldn’t mask a tempered performance from Papa Gene. On his last day as a 52-year-old, the normally ebullient and impassioned frontman appeared to be holding something back. His traditional throat singing was missing from “I Can’t Put My Finger On It”, he ceded vocals to Deaner for “Pandy Fackler”, and—most noticeably—he omitted his punctuating shrieks from the show’s closing “You Fucked Up”. Perhaps Gener learned something from his roughly a decade of sobriety (or possibly his decades of not sobriety) and decided to pace himself for the long weekend ahead.
While Gener’s vocals may have been lacking at times, that did nothing to deter—and perhaps even emboldened—the instrumental prowess of Ween. “Polka Dot Tail” was played with the reckless abandon of a half-court shot that somehow swishes right through the net. With Deaner tearing through distortion-laden guitar solos and power chord glory, the band indulged in both moments of fierce sludge rock on “Awesome Sound”, “Frank”, and “How High Can You Fly?” as well as blissed-out jam interludes in “Springtheme” and “Pandy Fackler” with Glenn taking over on his Rhodes.
If Aaron Freeman limped out of 52, he sure as hell cartwheeled into 53. Friday’s birthday/St. Patrick’s Day show was the best Ween concert of 2023, and that is not a joke as the 32-song performance will likely stand among the best of the year as Ween continues to tour. Accepting multiple hand-crocheted sweaters from the crowd ahead of a fitting opening performance of “Birthday Boy”, Gene put it all out there for night two.
Though his singing may not have been objectively “better” than night one or any other recent night, he went for the notes all the way. He held nothing back from the beginning, plowing through early takes on “Light Me Up” and “Voodoo Lady”, and even showing softer vocal command later on “Baby Bitch”. Friday was the kind of show that proved, regardless of age and sobriety, these guys are still Ween.
The band had more rarities in store for Friday, most notably a 29-year bust-out of “Dirty Money”. A perfect Vegas song—though far from the only Ween song applicable to Sin City—Gener handled the bluesy number like he was Bob Hite of Canned Heat. Another bust-out arrived especially for Gene, as Deaner—burning cigarette in hand—took vocals on the Frank Sinatra favorite “Summer Wind” in a truly Las Vegas moment. The cover had not been seen since October 7th, 2003, 357 shows ago, with Friday marking its fourth-ever performance.
Aside from those and a couple others including The Pod favorite “Mononucleosis” and “Old Queen Cole”, Friday’s concert leaned less heavily on rarities and instead saw Ween playing its great songs very well and with sheer enjoyment. In many ways, the year in Ween truly began on Friday.
With Gene’s birthday already taken care of and a sheet cake lovingly tossed underhand into the crowd, Ween had one more special day to acknowledge. Coming back for the encore, Deaner shared his Irish anthem “The Blarney Stone” with his brother in Brown as the Brooklyn Bowl swayed and hollered to the drinking shanty. The encore was a twofer tribute to St. Patrick, with “Homo Rainbow” closing things out, “If you find a pot of gold / Every little thing is gonna work out fine / In the homo rainbow.”
Saturday’s 33-song run closer would ultimately bring the weekend total to 96 songs in just under eight hours of music across three nights. As the band took the stage for one more marathon set, one was inspired to borrow a phrase from the Grateful Dead lexicon:”Trouble ahead, Deaner in red.”
The varied setlist leaned heavily on fan-favorite albums Quebec and The Mollusk, with attention also paid to the 2005 compilation Shinola, Vol. 1. Deaner even acknowledged the band was “on a Quebec kicker” between takes on “Happy Colored Marbles” and “I Don’t Want It”. There were no objections.
Turning their attention to 2000’s White Pepper, Dean, Gene, and the gang brought out “Falling Out” for the first time since October 14th, 2004, 319 shows ago. “We never play this song live. I don’t know why,” Dean said ahead of the song, which definitely benefits from White Pepper‘s engrossing production.
Though Ween and its fans had been getting sweaty together in Las Vegas for the past two and a half nights, Saturday was assuredly a sexy night on the Strip. The flirtation began with Deaner’s touching “She Fucks Me”—which he made Gene restart because he wanted it “sexier”—followed later by “Monique The Freak” and then Ween’s other Prince knock-off “LMLYP”. The sensual fan favorite had not been November 27th, 2016, nine months after Ween reunited following a four-year breakup.
Saturday had a misstep or two as well, most notably the torturously slow “The Argus”. Coupled with the crawling “Big Jilm” from Thursday’s encore, one had to wonder if we were witnessing the birth of Ween & Company.
Those questionable decisions notwithstanding, Ween finished out the run strong and ready for the year ahead. Saturday witnessed strong instrumental interplay, particularly on “I’ll Be Your Jonny On The Spot”, “Did You See Me?”, and “Vallejo” (among others). Unfortunately, this “Vallejo” did not reach quite the same magnitude as the one from Deaner’s night to remember back in ’94.
Perhaps ironically, perhaps quite on-the-nose for a Saturday night in Vegas, Ween burst through the Motörhead homage “It’s Gonna Be A Long Night” as the penultimate song of the Vegas run. Finally, Gene delivered the fitting send-off “Buenos Tardes Amigos” to finish off three nights in Sin City.
With what Ween pulled off in this run, it’s gonna be a long year. Buenos tardes, for now.
Ween rides again next month for a pair of shows in Texas followed by a two-night stand at the Orpheum Theater in New Orleans (4/28, 4/29) during the first weekend of Jazz Fest. Tickets are available on the band’s website.
Check out select videos from Ween in Las Vegas. A full trove of fan-shot videos from the entire run is available from The Stallion Mang.
Ween – Brooklyn Bowl – Las Vegas, NV – 3/16/23 – Full Audio
[Audio: Rich Cuiffo]
Ween – Brooklyn Bowl – Las Vegas, NV – 3/17/23 – Full Audio
[Audio: Rich Cuiffo]
Ween – Brooklyn Bowl – Las Vegas, NV – 3/18/23 – Full Audio
[Audio: Rich Cuiffo]
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Setlist: Ween | Brooklyn Bowl | Las Vegas, NV | 3/16/23
Set: Piss Up a Rope, The Golden Eel, The Stallion pt 3, Roses Are Free, Polka Dot Tail, The Grobe, Puerto Rican Power, Seconds, Tick, I Can’t Put My Finger on It, Beacon Light, Mango Woman, Exactly Where I’m At, Awesome Sound, Frank, Help Me Scrape the Mucus Off My Brain, Learnin’ to Love, Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down), How High Can You Fly?, Tried and True, Springtheme, Transitions, Suckin’ Blood From the Devil’s Dick, Pandy Fackler, Koko, Don’t Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy), Touch My Tooter
Encore: Bananas and Blow, Big Jilm, If You Love Me [1], You Fucked Up
[1] LTP 4/20/95 (730 shows ago)
Setlist: Ween | Brooklyn Bowl | Las Vegas, NV | 3/17/23
Set: Birthday Boy, Pork Roll Egg and Cheese, With My Own Bare Hands, Light Me Up, Voodoo Lady, Push th’ Little Daisies, Take Me Away, Gabrielle, Object, The Stallion pt 1, Cover It With Gas and Set It on Fire, Mononucleosis, Ice Castles > The Final Alarm, What Deaner Was Talkin’ About, I Wuz Nothin, Baby Bitch, Doctor Rock, Stroker Ace, Old Queen Cole, Dirty Money [1], Mister Would You Please Help My Pony?, Buckingham Green, Summer Wind (Johnny Mercer, Heinz Meier) [2], Waving My Dick in the Wind, Sweet Texas Fire, Even If You Don’t, Reggaejunkiejew, Demon Sweat, Your Party
Encore: The Blarney Stone, Homo Rainbow
[1] LTP 3/5/94 (827 shows ago)
[2] LTP 10/7/03 (357 shows ago)
– Gene’s birthday – a birthday cake was brought out after Buckingham. Gene blew out the candles and gave it to the audience
– Third Stone From the Sun quote during Reggaejunkiejew
Setlist: Ween | Brooklyn Bowl | Las Vegas, NV | 3/18/23
Set: I’m Dancing in the Show Tonight, Captain Fantasy, Transdermal Celebration, Common Bitch, She Wanted to Leave, Happy Colored Marbles, I Don’t Want It, The Stallion pt 5, Shamemaker, I’ll Be Your Jonny on the Spot, Did You See Me?, I Don’t Want to Leave You on the Farm, Chocolate Town, Falling Out [1], Vallejo, The Argus, Mutilated Lips, She Fucks Me, I Got to Put the Hammer Down, Monique the Freak > LMLYP [2], Nan, Boy’s Club, Slow Down Boy, Ocean Man, I Gots a Weasel, Papa Zit, Wayne’s Pet Youngin, The Enabler, Tender Situation
Encore: The Mollusk, It’s Gonna Be a Long Night, Buenas Tardes Amigo
[1] LTP 10/14/04 (319 shows ago)
[2] LTP 11/27/16 (114 shows ago)
The post Ween Hits The Jackpot With Celebrations, Deep Dives, & More In Las Vegas [Videos/Audio] appeared first on L4LM.
