I missed the Oakland Ween concert by only a few days during my West Coast gig, so I vowed to see the band at the next opportunity. Well, I traveled across the entire country, but I am only half way there, having caught Gene Ween’s “solo” show last night at The Brighton Music Hall in Boston. (Where’s Deaner?)
Briefly, let’s discuss the Ween gene pool …
I digress … last night — pretty excited … Even though it is sort of my thing, I didn’t even check to see if The Brighton has Wi-Fi. I was busy obsessing about clever/bizarre songs of “spina bifoda” and “my little pony.”* But there are so many songs in the catalog of a group or an artist who has been kickin it for 30 years or so — so you can’t always get what you want. Forget me and my needs. There were plenty of diehard Weeners at the show who knew, loved and could hold their own singing every lyric.
Gene Ween fired off dozens of semi-acoustic, stripped-down gems before the guitar slinger unleashed a 10-minute, 41-second “Spaghetti Western” encore of the legendary “Buenas Tardes Amigo” to end the show.
But from the first of the show it was apparent to me that there are two types of Ween fans — live Ween fans and studio Ween fans. I confess I am the latter, and missed the smooth vocals of all the recorded favorites I play on my i-Ween. It seemed most of the packed house at The Brighton were the jam-band, live-Ween variety. They were pleased immensely.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the show, but the live Ween is just different you know — so much more laced with animation and perhaps vocal caricature … ranging from an impish “Gollum”-like persona to a wisecracking Adam Sandler vocal style. At times, Gene was a balladeer in the tradition of Cash, Strummer, Springsteen, Dylan, Forbert and the like. At times, a spooky storyteller. His acoustic guitar, however, left little to interpretation. It was pure goodness crossing genres from blues to near-flamenco showmanship.
So many songs! Pity. The dude beside me at the front of the stage asked a roadie for the handwritten setlist. He was rejected, so I didn’t get a chance to cheat off of his paper. Here is some of what I do know, by my own self. My buddy Markus “Carcass” got to hear his favorite “Mutilated Lips” as the crowd sang along rhythmically. Perhaps to honor the fact that Bruce Springsteen walked on stage, the night before at a Dropkick Murphys’ show in Boston … Gene also did a great rendition of Springsteen’s “The River.”
My favorite of the night — in addition to the encore — Gene tackled one of the more difficult vocal selections in his collection — the falsetto “Freedom of 76.” But where was the “boogie-oogie-oogie” of “Voodoo Lady?” No doubt, doin that Voodoo that Ween do would have been difficult with only G-Ween and bassist Dave Dreiwitz on stage. I would have volunteered my buddy/percussionist Markus for the gig ‘faster than you can shake a stick.” But it was not to be. And to my chagrin, little country Ween, except “I Don’t Want To Leave You On The Farm.”
But there was plenty of catharsis to go around — drinking sing-a-longs about disgruntled love gone wrong. But, where were the sweet love notes of “Stay Forever?”
But like I was sayin … great show. Also … very cool … met lots of potential new PingWi-Fi followers. If I smoked and if Boston clubs allowed you to do so, I would probably have carried in an old-school lighter and given an old-school concert salute to the Boston crowd and this veteran songsmith … this Gene Ween … but alas, I still can’t say I have seen Ween after all the years that’ve been.
Know what I sayin?
*And yes, I know those are not actual lyrics … I jest …
