No openers, folks, just down to the brass tacks of a 2+ hour Ween audio assault.
Like Slayer, Gwar, Campaign For Real Time et. al - the smoke machines were an integral part of the show. Although I don't even know if the smoke was timed for an ominous or rock god like aesthetic effect- it seemed to come out in intermittent and ejaculatory belches.
Crowd census: lots of kids with baja pullovers (we used to call them drug rugs in middle and high school - you know the ones: you find them in incense / patchouli distribution centers / headshops throughout the country), free flow of second-hand Mary Jane. A good mix of super young kids and balding men, but there were actually more women than you might expect.
Very heavy with cuts from the new Rounder Records release La Cucaracha: The synthed-out Mexican Game Show / Surf Music of the title cut, the cock-rock of 'My Own Bare Hands', The techno pretty boy sound of 'Friends', The Cher-esque 'Spirit Walker' (at least in that weird vocal 'Do You Believe In Love' sense). One got the feeling that the crowd really really really wanted to hear the new 'Blue Balloons' track from LC as a good 5 or 6 crowd-inflated blue balloons were volleyed across the heads of the first half of the first level of the Calvin theater. Tough tittie though for Western Mass Ween lovers - 'Blue Balloons' will have to wait for another evening.
Crowd pleasers and old faves included 'AIDS / HIV', 'The Mollusk', 'I'll Be Yr Johnny On The Spot', 'Piss Up A Rope', 'Bananas and Blow', etc.
My fave was when the bass player (not Dean or Gene swapping to bass either, the bass player of the evening) stepped up to the mic to give an as-faithful-as possible rendition of Mötorhead's 'Ace Of Spades'. This cover was followed a few tracks later by a Frank Zappaesque psych guitar instrumental of Karen Carpenter's 'Superstar'.
Throughout the evening, there was a volleyball player's rotation of instrument and vocal swapping.
Cuts from 'The Pod' and 'Pure Guava' were not heard by this listener for the most part. I kept hoping for 'Pollo Asado', 'Reggae Junkie Jew' (Fuck You), 'Poopship Destroyer' and any part of 'The Stallion' but no dice.
I made no friends and talked to pretty much no one, but it was still a good solo night out on the town of Northampton MA for the originator of the MF DÜtangclan.
B+ / A-
Posted by G lib on 2007-11-29 13:37:46 +0000
You rule. I LOVE your review, and I don't even like Ween.
Posted by pamsterdam on 2007-11-29 14:16:21 +0000
"I made no friends and talked to ... no one"
Henry? Henry, is that YOU in there? What have you done to our DÜ?
Posted by tgl on 2007-11-29 19:09:00 +0000
Ween?!?! I heard about them on NPR!
Posted by MF DU on 2007-11-30 02:16:11 +0000
"I don't like" and "Ween" should probably never be used in the same sentence, but thanks for the kind words G libby! It made me smile! :)
Posted by MF DU on 2007-11-30 02:20:17 +0000
11-027-2007 23:45:
Had some grub and went back to the shed. Too tired to write much more. Some guy called me a motherfucker and told me I wasn't as hard as I used to be. I told him his mother was in the klan and should go get fucked. These food wasters are all the same.
Even though Andrew Weiss is associated with them, I still like Ween, though. Those guys are pretty cool. They played a rocking set. I must put my head down now - I have 13 hours of press and book bindery to do tommorow after I hit the gym.