Ween Debuts ‘The Rift’ In Oregon

After a couple of weeks off Ween packed their bags and headed out to the Pacific Northwest for their final two shows of the summer at the McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater in Troutdale, Oregon. Mickey “Dean Ween” Melchiondo, Aaron “Gene Ween” Freeman, bassist Dave Dreiwitz, keyboardist Glenn McClelland and drummer Claude Coleman Jr. once again dug into their bag of tricks serving up a debut along with a mix of setlist staples and less-played songs from their catalog for their first ever show at the outdoor venue.

The New Hope Pennsylvania-rockers got their night going in the Beaver State with a pair of fan-favorites serving up “The HIV Song” and “The Golden Eel.” The quintet wasted no time in delivering their first surprise of the night as they offered up the live debut of “The Rift.” The tune which was included on 2005’s odd and sods collection Shinola Vol. 1 originally dates back to the recording sessions for 1992’s Chocolate And Cheese. From there the five-piece would make their way through some of their most well-known material with “Take Me Away,” “Piss Up a Rope,” “Buckingham Green,” “Touch My Tooter,” “Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)” and “Bananas And Blow.”

The night also features a number of deeper cut tunes as Ween looked to “I Gots A Weasel,” which has become a regular rotation song after only getting played a total of nine times between 1989 and 2016. “Wayne’s Pet Youngin” was played for the tenth time since being revived two years ago, while “High How Can You Fly?” was seeing action for just the eighteenth time after it finally got debuted in 2016. The band also reached for “Albino Sunburned Girl” for the sixth time since it was busted out last year after an almost seven-year layoff and “Seconds” another tune which found its way back into setlists in 2017 after a nearly a decade and a half on the shelf.

Watch Ween’s live debut of “The Rift” captured by Monica Hampton along with full show video below:

Setlist (via BrownBase)

The HIV Song, The Golden Eel, The Rift, Object, Take Me Away, Transdermal Celebration, I Gots a Weasel, The Stallion pt 1, Wayne’s Pet Youngin, I Can’t Put My Finger on It, How High Can You Fly?, Frank, Albino Sunburned Girl, Piss Up a Rope, Chocolate Town, Buckingham Green, Mister Would You Please Help My Pony?, Seconds, Touch My Tooter, Japanese Cowboy, Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down), Happy Colored Marbles, Back to Basom, Mutilated Lips, Bananas and Blow, Your Party

Encore: Ocean Man, Don’t Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy), Homo Rainbow