Ween’s Christmas event at The Met will surely make the most – and the weirdest – of this holiday session.
There is no real precedent for a Ween Christmas event, whether at home in New Hope or its extended native space, Philadelphia. Yet, Dean and Gene on December 14 at The Met Philadelphia will surely make the most – and the weirdest – of this holiday session. Especially when you consider its solo acts meant to mark the holiest of holidays (Dean’s “Xmas Day” single, Gene’s rendition of “White Christmas”), their “I’m Dancing in the Show Tonight” (their version of a 1953 Christmas song, “Are My Ears on Straight?,” the pair’s own trippy take on “Silent Night,” and a coloring book/live DVD package that came out around Christmas time 2008 as a gift for their fans: At the Cat’s Cradle 1992.
In my time, I have spoken with Dean and Gene as a two-man unit going as far back as their start in 1984 (hello, hanging out at John & Peters, Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo), through to their time as tightly-wound expanded live act, as soloists doing their thing in the name of covering Rod McKuen and touring around Billy Joel songs (Aaron) and wonky psychedelic punk originals (Mickey). I have even spoken to them about their outside pursuits – yes, that means Melchiondo acting as a fishing boat captain in New Hope, with a license to prove it.
“I haven’t felt this strong and good about everything I’m doing since I was 18-years-old,” Melchiondo told me back in 2018 about his solo jam-punk effort, Rock, Vol.2, that he recorded at his completed home studio in Lambertville.
“Ending Ween – it was a long time coming. Various things within me needed to happen first. A clear mind, full of confidence. As this record unfolded, it became clearer that things had to be concluded with Ween,” Freeman told me back in 2012 on the occasion of releasing his solo debut, “Marvelous Clouds.”
We’ve been with Ween through lean years, years where they dropped spooky, genre-jumbling major label album-after-album (their time at Elektra) charting singles such as “Push th’ Little Daisies”, and the band’s quick disintegration in 2012.
And while we’re over the moon that Ween decided to get back together in 2015 for regular touring purposes, the best even gift could be some new music soon. Ho ho.
About Post Author
