Dave Dreiwitz, Gene Ween and Dean Ween of who else but Ween
Several years ago, a friend of mine turned me onto Ween with their album White Pepper. Their catchy guitar riffs mixed with psychedelic, humor-filled lyrics captivated me and my musical taste at the time. Being the music freak that I am, I decided to purchase more of their catalog. What I found was a wide array of music that metamorphosed from album to album more than my little heart could ever have expected. The capability to switch it up like that on each of their 11 releases (and counting) is enough to make any music lover shed tears of joy. Which begs the question: Why did I take so long to see them live? To be brutally honest, I don't hold a valid excuse for you, but as soon as I found out they would be at Harrah's Stir Cove on July 20, 2008, I had a ticket in hand and was ready for a booze filled night of partying while checking out a band I have been craving for years.

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Unfortunately, I had to make a late arrival to the show. Prior obligations had to be kept, so I wound up rolling into Stir Cove about 40 minutes late. As I walked up, I immediately noted the presence of many faithful Ween followers, and I could also tell that this was going to be one of the most interesting and fun crowds that I've been a part of. Approaching the venue, I could hear the faint sounds of the audience getting down to a song with which I was unfamiliar. As I made my way to the front, the synthetic steel drum sounds of "Bananas and Blow" quickly overtook me. From then on out, the night would continue to impress.

Glenn McClland and Claude Coleman Jr. of Ween

When I arrived, I already had high expectations for a good show from the New Hope, PA-based band, but Ween still managed to surprise me in a few different ways. First, I was blown away by the amazing reproduction of the quirky vocals that populate their albums. The authenticity of the music in comparison to their studio work was second to none. Second, I was caught off guard by the killer light show that accompanied the performance, which I suppose should have been expected considering their frequent, blunt drug references. This made for an awesome experience made even better by the interesting people I met while there. Ween burned through several decades of music during the 2-2.5 (or I guess for me, even less than that) hour show including possibly my personal favorite, "Booze Me Up and Get Me High." Ween moved through their set with little hesitation between songs.

Stir Cove pre Ween

As quickly as it had started, the music ceased, and many fans were hoping it was only a set break and not the encore already. However, next up was, indeed, their inevitable 3-song encore, followed by a brief goodbye. Maybe that's to be expected when you're seeing a show at a casino. The encore included 2 songs off of Chocolate and Cheese - "The HIV Song" and grand finale "Roses Are Free" (thank you, by the way, to the folks tossing the roses on stage to prompt the closer!!!). As far as Ween was concerned, the night was over, but fans were timid to leave, hoping the band would return for another encore, which unfortunately was not the case. The show's end did prompt several fans to eventually try their luck in the casino, which I'm sure is what Harrah's was aiming for. Much hilarity ensued, from watching security sweating everyone's jock in the casino, to having parties with random people at the elevators on floor ten and meeting Robert, a gentleman who couldn't seem to walk vertically (In fact, I think he was hunched backwards in a 45 degree angle most of the night. Hope you made it home, brotha!)

Gene and Dean Ween

After it was all said and done, Ween helped turn my otherwise dull Sunday night into a real treat. Their catchy tunes have always been highly esteemed in the BOT crew's eyes, and I am ecstatic about seeing them again soon. And as always, thanks to all the good people there for making Harrah's enjoyable while making security guards cautious throughout!

For a short, balls out, kick ass show without taking names, I give Ween 8/10 slices.

My apologies for the lack of pictures. Being as this was a casino, they weren't about to let me bring my SLR in. Thanks to Kari Kreikemeier for the photos!!!

Ciao,
The Toastman