Ep. 48: 06/10/2022, The Borgata Event Center, Atlantic City, NJ.

Ween Cast

New Jersey has a special place in the history of Ween. Hailing from just across the Delaware River, Ween basically got their start in Jersey, in now defunct but once iconic venues such as City Gardens in Trenton, and Court Tavern in New Brunswick. Before they were big, there was Jersey! Given this rich history, it might be surprising to learn that they hadn’t played in Jersey in 12 years. Damn, that’s a long time without Taylor Ham! But that all changed last month when Ween descended upon The Borgata in Atlantic City. Playing like they had house money, Ween rocked out yet another epic two-night stand. Weencast was there and we lived to tell the tale!

The first night started off a little slow, but next thing I knew, I was blasted off to space with rarities such as Get A Little Taste of You, Now I’m Freaking Out, and The Argus. With Z-Rock Hawaii in the house this early, I just knew shit was going to get even browner. And it did.

Deaner shredded an absolutely intense Johnny on the Spot, and then I was treated to the double country delight of Japanese Cowboy followed by I Don’t Want To Leave You on the Farm. Gener, who was en fuego all weekend, then broke out the acoustic for a quartet of rarities, including my first ever Hey There Fancy Pants, and my second ever I’ll Miss You. My mind was basically already blown, and the show was only half over.

Aaron put away the acoustic and after jamming out the fan favorite but common, Voodoo Lady, they proceeded to one of the top highlights of the evening, Bumblebee. This hard-rocking rarity has only been played 12 times, it was my first time hearing it live, and it hadn’t been played at all since 2001, when it was brought out one time only, for the live performance of God Ween Satan at John and Peter’s. Talk about Boognish bliss!

A short while later, they raised the stakes once again, breaking out the ultra-rare, The Rift. The Rift has only been played live six times. Not only that, but Mickey invited guitar monster, The Reverend B’ill, to sit in on the song. Bill Fowler has been sitting in and otherwise jamming with Ween here and there since the early 90’s, and when he’s up there with Deaner, there’s some serious guitar god synergy going on. So this is a fantastic version of The Rift, and also the only time B’ill ever sat in on it live.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any browner, Deaner launched the band into Suckin The Blood From The Devil’s Dick. It was my virgin experience with the song, and it left me…shook. After a little Big Jilm, they then launched into the sweet one-two punch of Laura followed by Demon Sweat. Aaron really shined here, on Laura he did a little dueling guitars with Mickey, and then for Demon Sweat he plopped himself down on the piano. Both songs were awesome and rare, but it was especially freaking cool to see Gener taking things to another level and being totally in his element. Viva la Ween!

Friday night was one for the record books. Enjoy the episode and stay brown my friends!

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