It’s been many years since Ween has embarked on a proper tour and their triumphant return to the road has taken them to cities they haven’t played in decades. It’s no surprise that many of these shows – at intimate venues by Ween standards – have sold out almost immediately. One of the hottest tickets was Providence, RI, which one might assume would have been a sleeper of a show that ended up being one of the best shows of the tour. As fans waited around the block to get into The Strand on Friday, September 15th for the second to last show of the tour, most had no idea they were in for one of the more bizarrely brilliant Ween setlists to go down in years filled with long-time favorites alongside left field rarities.
Opening with the slowly building rock notes of “Did You See Me?,” the band immediately set a tone for what would be a marathon set of eclectic song choices. “Exactly Where I’m At” hit before the early set delight of “Bananas and Blow,” but “I Was Nothing” took things in a completely different direction with its lyrical silliness contrasted by Dean Ween’s scorched earth stoner rock shredding that was complemented by Claude Coleman Jr.’s ferocious drumming. This was the first of several extended, blast-off-to-oblivion jams that the band would unleash over the course of the night.
The simple garage punk of the band’s early years on “Marble Tulip Juicy Tree” served as a nice surprise before the crowd-winning combo of an elegant and mature “Baby Bitch” followed by the carnival-pop greatness of “Roses Are Free.” With the band and crowd now riding high, the “Flutes of Chi” took over with its nice twangy guitar followed by blissful shredding that chased its way towards the light and sunny power pop-meets-country of “Chocolate Town.” These vibes continued with the frenetic funhouse jamboree of “Waving My Dick In the Wind” complete with a whacky drum solo – the psychedelic euphoria of “Transdermal Celebration,” and the unexpected cousin-kissin’ greatness of “Sweet Texas Fire.” One of the the biggest moments of the night came with Deaner’s super-charged blues grooving on “Take Me Away” only to follow it up with the stoner-stomp of “Buckingham Green” and the sprawling instrumental jam “Tear For Eddie.”
Almost twenty songs in, the band steered things back to a lighter touch with the pure poolside fun of “Koko” and the lounge Bossanova banger “Pandy Fackler” that would morph into one of the highlights of the show as Glenn McClelland took it away on jazz piano. His Vince Gauraldi-esque extended solo was one of the coolest moments this writer has seen at a Ween show, with the tune ending in full spooky prog rock mode as the band returned to the jam.
This all blended into the one-two metal punch of “Captain Fantasy” and “Don’t Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy),” concluding with an impressive cappella group hoot that showcased just how sharp Ween is these days. The final stretch of the set was also loaded with highlights, including Gene Ween’s massive, desert-blazing vocal intro to “I Can’t Put My Finger On It,” a dialed-in, swinging “Powder Blue,” the explosive frenzy of “Dr. Rock,” and the spaced out, Pink Floyd-style elevator jam during “Zoloft.” This being Ween, they back-loaded the set with longtime favorites with the childish jubilation of “The Mollusk,” the perfectly demented pairing of the “The HIV Song” and “Spinal Meningitis,” and the proper guitar shredding vehicle “Voodoo Lady” all before the George Jones-meets-Willie-Nelson-in-a-mental-hospital tune “I’m Holding You.”
As if to send a message to their fans that the evening was coming to a close, Ween took the stage for an encore right around the three-hour mark and dropped into “Shamemaker,” a random choice that brought to mind the offbeat pop of Daniel Johnston before they kicked off the familiar notes of “Your Party” (practically a must-play tune in their repertoire at this point). It’s hard to think of a more perfect closer than “Buenos Tardes Amigos,” and this version saw Gener stepping out for a guitar solo that was sparse and graceful as if he was bringing the fans back down to earth after this delightfully strange rock and roll journey. For those fans looking for the weirder side of Ween, Thursday’s show in Providence captured the band’s talent for delivering the unexpected three decades into a triumphant career. One can only hope they seize on the momentum of this return to touring to also make a return to the studio for some new tunes.
3 Responses
I love the way you describe these songs. Enjoyed this review!
Great write-up, but who decided on this article title? “Unleashes bizarrely brilliant setlist” doesn’t apply here.
This setlist is not bizarre. All of these songs are standard album cuts or some B-Sides that have been in rotation on this and previous tours.
Ween setlists are brilliant. This is no exception. It’s not bizarrely brilliant. It’s regularly brilliant.
Dean was a guitar god (broke his strings during Voodoo Lady); and the audience offered heartfelt encouragement when Gene forgot the lyrics to Buenas Tardes Amigo. The sheer sonic horsepower of this show shook the tobacco-stained plaster decorations off the walls of The Strand, the 100-year-old theater Ween last played in 2009. I can’t imagine a better place to see Ween do their thing (including the Beachcomber on Cape Cod).