Dean Ween Group at Terminal West - Atlanta

Review By: Ben Crow

Photos By: Jamie Platus

Since Ween’s impromptu split in 2012, fans have been left hanging on hearing their extensive 25-year repertoire from the stallion’s mouth, so to speak. For musical legends like Gene and Dean Ween (Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo, respectively), true retirement was never an option. They both embarked on successful solo runs, with Aaron releasing 2012’s Marvelous Clouds, and 2014’s critically-acclaimed Freeman, while Mickey reformed under the headlining Dean Ween Group, pulling an eclectic group of musicians from his current and past projects to round out the mix.

The DWG recently announced a 3-night late March Southern tour, beginning with Charlotte, then on to Atlanta and rounding out with Asheville, with a prepared setlist to support their upcoming album. To everyone’s surprise, Dean flipped the scrip with the sudden announcement that Glenn McClelland, Claude Coleman, Jr., and Dave Dreiwitz would return to comprise their roles in Ween for the three night tour, with the setlist being entirely composed of Ween standards.

Starting promptly at 10PM, Terminal West was caught off-guard with a straight-laced, crowd-enthused guitar-hammering ‘Piss Up a Rope’, transitioning with seamless energy to ‘Buckingham Green’ that didn’t let up for the entire night. Dean, Glenn, Claude, and Dave were clearly in harmony, and flowing smoothly with newcomer Scott Rednor competently filling Gene’s guitar role. The crowd was clearly present, chanting along with breathless enthusiasm to favorites ‘Booze Me Up and Get Me High’, ‘Spinal Meningitis’, and as Dean called out as his tongue-in-cheek “favorite Ween tune”, the quirky but playful ‘Mr. Won’t You Please Help My Pony’. As the band transitioned to big-name favorites like ‘Bananas and Blow’, the palpable energy in the venue eclipsed to such a degree that after flowing through his solo on ‘Transdermal Celebration’ Dean had to take a minute to pause, look out into the crowd, and breathlessly propose the question -“What just happened?”

Indeed. For two solid hours, 4/5ths of Ween that were present that night brought fire, passion, and energy to songs that have become standards to the countless shows that they’ve played over the years, and showed why these guys are the top-tier craftsmen in the business.

With each band member taking a turn at lead vocals, from Claude’s playful ‘Put the Coke On My Dick’ to Dave’s ‘It’s Gonna Be a Long Night’, it truly felt like the closure that we the fans were desperately seeking, was as pivotal to the musicians themselves. The night’s rousing encore of ‘the Mollusk’ capped off an experience that none present will soon forget, and until the hopeful point in the future that Gener and Deaner are ready to bring it back together, will keep us satiated for a little while longer.

Setlist:
Piss Up a Rope
Buckingham Green
Did You See Me?
A Tear for Eddie
The Golden Eel
Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)
Pink Eye (On My Leg)
With My Own Bare Hands
Help Me Scrape the Mucus off My Brain
Big Jilm
The Final Alarm
Booze Me Up and Get Me High
Garry
Put the Coke on My Dick
Pandy Fackler
Mister Would You Please Help My Pony?
Bananas and Blow
She Fucks Me
Transdermal Celebration
Roses Are Free
It’s Gonna Be a Long Night
Never Squeal