A big batch of the Boognish invaded Brooklyn early Friday night as the brothers Ween “Dr. Rock”ed the hell out of McCarren Pool. The gargantuan 33-song, 4-hour set may have been the highlight of the last concert series in McCarren Pool, which has proved one of the most unique and satisfying NYC summer venues in recent years. The set kicked off right at the stated time of 7:30 with the opening wah-wah-wah’s of “Exactly Where I’m At.” Dean (Mickey Melchiondo) Gene (Aaron Freeman) and a drum-tight backing band instantly began painting the 718 brown. The cult of Ween is strong, but the Pool was only about 1/3rd full, though, it continued to fill in as the skies darkened and the jams opened.
Sure, Ween is a bizarre kaleidoscope, cramming together: genre’s, bad taste, heartfelt, melodic song writing, and 6th-grade humor, but the mishmash of it all is half the fun. The other half is catching these talented wizards on stage and loving it. The expansive “Voodoo Lady” was a supreme highlight, like drunken pirates careening down Decatur then plunging to Hades’ depths before a huge drum and bass roller coaster bring you back to planet earth. A small, dirty bar may be more the band’s speed to showcase the off-kilter lounge inklings in “Take Me Away” and the giddiness of “Touch My Tooter,” but the huge stage let them cockrock “Stallion V,” and allowed the lights to play havoc with bunches of altered hippies in attendance when “Ocean Man” oozed out. The controls on the smoke machine during “Buckingham Green” must have also been set to overload. Numbers like “Spinal Meningitis” ain’t for everyone, but I dug the hell out of it as did those in attendance who sang along to such gems as “Wavin’ My Dick in the Wind,” “Booze Me Up and Get Me High,” and “Marble Tulip Juicy Tree.” Ween brought it all to McCarren Pool, swam laps, did a cannonball, and then took a leak in it just for good measure.
