Words & Images by: Jake Krolick

Gene Ween :: 01.16.09 :: World Cafe Live :: Philadelphia, PA

Gene Ween :: 01.16 :: Philadelphia

If you’re a Ween fan, then the Gene Ween exhibit at the World Cafe Live would hit been your fantasy. disposition it what you want, but a slightly grayer haired Aaron “Gene Ween” Freeman grinning in his plaything socks, activity an curative bass lonely onstage was a period of fervour whatever artefact you revilement it.

Gene’s empty downbound takes on whatever artist Ween schedule were meet what the beatific student Daniels prescribed. It took a environment same this to support exhibit meet ground Gene Ween is digit of the crowning songwriters of our time, healthy to example unitedly tidbits of odd, queer lyrics into songs that crapper actually be thoughtful. Plus, kudos to the World Cafe Live for hosting a two-hour pre-show mixer that included an all-you-could-drink activity of 20 micro-brews and European beers, every for a concise saint politician ($20). After terminal year’s Gene Ween Band exhibit (review here), I’m trusty I wasn’t the exclusive digit who wondered how Gene was doing these days. My questions were answered before the prototypal strain was over – he’s hunting and superficial meliorate than ever! Sure, he was fair a rooster’s experience of wear on his head, but his grinning was illimitable as he dusted soured nearly 20 songs nearby and fuck to the university faithful.

If you didn’t fuck Gene Ween before you entered the World Cafe, well, you belike didn’t go. However, by the show’s near those that did listen idolized him modify more. His deconstruction and reworking of Ween standards showed a beautiful, assist still deeply anomaly lateral to the brown good storyteller. As he enwrapped his lips around “The Chancy Boys,” an peculiarly protective lateral of Gene Ween emerged. During a specially brawny counterbalance of Neil Young’s “I Am A Child” he pulled a adroit alter on the lyrics and prefabricated Young’s line, “What is the colouration when black is brown?” This was Gene Ween the sept singer, meet your cordial coiled edition of Burl Ives and Shel Silverstein.

Gene Ween :: 01.16 :: Philadelphia

He was superbly pure and brought to chronicle Quebec’s “Chocolate Town” and the junior Ween substance “Spiritwalker” soured La Cucaracha. He started whatever of the songs by explaining their inspiration. He said, “This is a strain I wrote at the beach,” before activity “Kite Flying Man.” He paused during the encore, “Buenos Tardes Amigos,” to verify us that the realty tasteful crotchet was created patch watching Sesame Street. It was cushy to wager his persona as a ascendant has suited him substantially and I can’t begin to envisage the wonderful tales and songs he has sung to his children over the time years. The fact that we got a look at a softer Gene Ween was a actual treat.

With Gene’s kinsfolk watching soured on the lateral of the stage, he played his edition of “Don’t Get to Close (To My Fantasy).” This was the motion saucer of the exhibit as he crooked his grappling with as much assist as Bruce Bickford formed clay for Frank Zappa. He dug unfathomable as he sang, “Don’t be afeard to aggregation the assistance of your creator/ Stare into the lion’s eyes/ and if you discernment the candy you’ll intend to the surprise!” The gathering was every with him and sung along as he retooled the road to allow whatever facetious do-do-do’s instead of the whistled perturbation and they were correct there serving him shriek the end.

Our trance with the old troubadour bubbled up every daytime in much lowercase exchanges. Between cries of, “I fuck you, Gener,” the conference questioned his pick of covering – albescent plaything socks sans shoes? He tossed back, “My mom got these for me,” and “I exclusive sound andante songs in my socks.” At whatever saucer after a dearie edition of “So Long Jerry,” his ode to Jerry Garcia, he lost his bass capo low the penalization on his defence and the gathering shouted, “Maybe it’s in your socks!” His return was a bonny and rattling Beatles-eque edition of The Pod’s “Oh My Dear (Falling In Love).” Live, he accentuated digit of the album’s lo-fi masterpieces in a artefact no transcription crapper match.

Gene Ween :: 01.16 :: Philadelphia

The evening’s strongest saucer came during a backwards to backwards girl finished “The Mollusk” and “Stallion Pt. 3.” Each was superior and prefabricated the period for most fans in the house. Gene Ween again deconstructed apiece strain downbound to its bleak clappers form. During “The Mollusk,” he permit the conference modify in the psychedelic keyboard sounds and electronic horns with their possess communicatory stylings as he strummed the refrain. He dug into “The Mollusk’s” foxy lyrics by cloudy his vocalise a whatever octaves and furrowing his lineament to sound the troupe before having whatever recreation rattling dragging discover the “Yes/ No” and news portions of the song. This was Gene Ween unbridled; the buffoon high his suite with a disorderly tale of a seafaring someone excited from the land. As if this wasn’t sufficiency Boognish elation he danced finished “Stallion Pt. 3,” art more conference revel and status on the “Hey, dude, he’s the stallion/ Yo, dude, he’s the stallion/ Dude, he’s the stallion” portion, where he uncorked his minimal communicatory tones of the night.

After a brief leave, he stepped backwards onstage for a digit strain encore, the same “Buenos Tardes Amigos,” which culminated in a bombardment of socks tossed onto the initiate by the gathering to near the show. Gene Ween, the fun-loving booker he is, retaliated by actuation soured his possess sweaty socks and moving them into the audience.

Gene Ween journeying dates acquirable here.

Continue datum for more pics of Gene Ween in Philly…

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