Punk Rock Monday

Ween is hands-down the best live act I've ever seen. Ever. Maybe not the best musicians (although Deaner shreds with the ax). Not the best songwriters. Certainly not the best-mannered, and the maturity leaves a lot to be desired. But holy shit, if their shows aren't marathon booze-and-drug fueled epics.

In the psychedelic-fueled days of college and the immediate post-college years, a Ween show was looked forward to more than Christmas by a seven year old. Four hour marathons of inspired lunacy, walking the knife's edge between genius and complete and utter shit. On any given night, they were simultaneously the best and worst band on earth. I've been to shows where I swear they should have been dead by the end of it. Seriously. Dead. And I can remember leaving those shows thinking it was the best concert I'd ever seen. And then I'd see them six months later, and they'd top themselves.

They're older now, but judging by the more recent clips, the shows are still dionysian free-for-alls. Here's an unprecedented five-clip PRM dedicated to the brownest of the brown. All hail Boognish! All hail Ween!

"Marble Tulip Juicy Tree" from 1991, featuring the band's original line-up, Gene Ween, Dean Ween, and a tape player for a rhythm section:


A 1995, space-cake fueled European performance of "Poop Ship Destroyer" - the aforementioned simultaneous best and worst band in the world:


From 2000, a song that signifies everything that is good about Ween, "Awesome Sound":


Also from 2000 (April 20, if you want to be specific), "Roses Are Free":


And finally, a song that will forever in my mind be associated with coming down, "Booze Me Up and Get Me High" from 2005: