“I Can’t Put My Finger On It”, but it appears Ween is up to something. The cult-favorite alt-weirduo of Dean and Gene Ween (Mickey Melchiondo and Aaron Freeman, respectively) issued a not-so-subtle hint that they’re planning a 30th-anniversary celebration of Chocolate and Cheese for next year.
Ween took to social media today, September 27th, to celebrate the 29th anniversary of its fourth studio album, Chocolate and Cheese. A three-panel post showed a bar of chocolate, a wedge of cheese, and “9/27/24 philadelphia.” Considering this band turned a thank-you note into the live favorite “Your Party”, it is no surprise that Ween was cordial enough to issue a save-the-date a year in advance.
What the concert exactly one year from today will entail is anyone’s guess, though there is established precedent. Ween is no stranger to full-album recreations, with the band previously performing its 1994 album in its entirety at Desert Daze back in 2019, as well as The Mollusk at Riot Fest a month prior. In 2018, Ween reunited with The Shit Creek Boys for a celebration of the band’s 1996 homage to twang, 12 Golden Country Greats, at Ryman Auditorium—though the band split the 11 songs across two nights.
Long before all of that in 2001, Ween performed all 26 songs from the band’s original 1990 debut, GodWeenSatan: The Oneness, live in its hometown of New Hope, PA. The band later released audio from that show, billed as the 25th anniversary of GodWeenSatan (though it was actually the 11th anniversary), as GodWeenSatan: Live in 2016.
While questions remain about the 2024 concert in Philly (including the venue, though the band has been a fan of The Met in recent years), there is little confusion regarding why Ween would want to celebrate Chocolate and Cheese. The band’s fourth album in as many years, Chocolate and Cheese was a turning point that heard Deaner and Gener graduate from their rudimentary four-track recordings to a professional studio.
Additionally, it is the first Ween album to feature drummer Claude Coleman Jr. who around that time began touring with Dean and Gene, with producer/bassist Andrew Weiss on bass until he was later replaced by the band’s current bassist Dave Dreiwitz. Formerly a two-man operation with Dean and Gene playing alongside pre-recorded drum tracks, this move to a full live band gave Ween the opportunity to stretch songs out onstage, ultimately allowing the band to become a live tour de force that regularly put on three-plus hour concerts.
So it’s “Buenos Tardes Amigo” for now, and see you next year in Philadelphia.
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