isn t a romantic band, but they were last night. Their extra special Valentine s Day concert capped off a weekend of sold-out shows at Broomfield, Colorado s , which were the band s first set of reunion gigs since its tragic breakup in 2012.
Since 1984, Gene and Dean Ween (aka Aaron Freeman and Michael Melchiondo, Jr.) have been crafting an exceptionally weird catalog of rock tunes that play out really well live. When they decided to call it quits four years ago so , many fans never thought they would get another chance to see Ween on stage, until these Colorado dates were announced.
That s probably why so much love was in the air Sunday evening as the band came on stage and kicked into Exactly Where I m At off 2000 s , then puckered up to the psychedelic rambler Mutilated Lips from 1997 s sea-themed magnum opus, .
After more crazy classics like The Stallion (pt. 1) off 1991 s or the funky Freedom of 76 from 1994 s breakout album, , the band treated fans to a befitting Valentine s Day hoedown with Learnin to Love” off 2007’s “.”
All of Ween s 1stBank shows culminated in lengthy, career-expanding set lists that kept many fans satisfied (but maybe not all of them). There were a lot of couples in the crowd and it was hard to tell if all the various girlfriends and wives actually enjoyed Ween s more childish material, like the acoustic version of The HIV Song, in which Dean and Gene just repeated the words AIDS and HIV to strummy guitar accompaniment.
But Ween can also get real. During, the song Israel off 2005 s b-sides collection, , Gene, who is Jewish, got behind a podium and recited an excerpt of the , a hymn from the Torah that Jews typically recite in the year of mourning or on the anniversary of a loved one’s death.
And Dean later made up for the boyish humor when he dedicated Piss Up a Rope to all the couples in the crowd, saying, Happy Valentine s Day, motherfuckers. This is for all you lovers out there. Yeah, the song features lyrics like On your knees you big, booty bitch, start suckin and You ride my ass, like a horse in a saddle, now you’re up shit s creek, with a turd for a paddle, but it s the thought that counts. Gene upped the ante and got all the ladies awww-ing when he dedicated the serious love song Stay Forever to his wife, Leah.
Before getting too sappy, the band decided to drive the show home with some serious rocking. The pre-encore track Never Squeal from the band s 1990 debut, , featured an epic, minutes-long drum solo from drummer, It was so long, in fact, that Gene left the stage (probably to grab a ). Dean even took off his guitar, walked behind Coleman s drum riser and began fanning the hard-working percussionist with his hands.
After a quick break, Ween returned for a hearty encore. Through Tender Situation, Gene and Dean traded guitar licks. Then they out the jams on Pumpin 4 the Man. The best part was the end of Fat Lenny, when Dean and Coleman mindfreaked the audience by trading instruments. Out of nowhere, Dean handed his guitar to Coleman and, although the humble drummer looked shocked, he jumped down from his throne, headed for the front of the stage and began shredding a massive solo while Dean kept the beat going. The audience roared with pleasure at the hilarious antic and clamored for more sick tuneage as Ween took a bow.
What a fuckin great time, man, Gene said. The applause only grew louder, so the band launched into a second and final encore with sing-along classic, The Blarney Stone. The song is about a disgusting, disease-ridden Irish medieval soldier, but that didn t stop Dean from throwing in a shoutout to Broncos star Von Miller by rhyming the last lyric cancer in my crack with . If that football reference proved anything it s that Ween s love knows no bounds. So for all you future reunion show concertgoers: Expect some affection.
Setlist
1. Exactly Where I m At
2. Mutilated Lips
3. She Wanted to Leave
4. Final Alarm
5. Did You See Me?
6. The Stallion (pt. 1)
7. Freedom of 76
8. Mononucleosis
9. Don t Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy)
10. Up on the Hill
11. Learnin to Love
12. I Can t Put My Finger on It
13. Birthday Boy (acoustic)
14. Chocolate Town (acoustic)
15. Drifter in the Dark (acoustic)
16. The Mollusk (acoustic)
17. Flutes of Chi (acoustic)
18. The HIV Song (acoustic)
19. Squelch the Weasel
20. Touch My Tooter
21. Papa Zit 2
22. Israel
23. Piss Up a Rope
24. Stay Forever
25. She s Your Baby
26. Never Squeal
Encore 1
27. Tender Situation
28. Pumpin 4 the Man
29. Common Bitch
30. Fat Lenny
Encore 2
31. The Blarney Stone
