Ween – September 26, 2003
Greek Theatre, Berkeley

Three hours of live music, anyone? While attention spans continue to shrink as precious seconds drip off of the clock, Ween still plays long enough to make a George Clinton show seem short. Whether or not they wore out their welcome with too many (read: one or more) half-trot jam sessions on this cold, college-aged hippie-infested Berkeley night, that verdict depends on your level of inebriation. The lengthy outing wasn’t due to excessive banter, that’s for sure – in fact, the fan interaction was kept only to a few words of consolation for Robert Palmer fans (“Robert Palmer, what the fuck? Yeah, he’s dead.”) and a surprise guest solo on the electric ivories from P-Funker Bernie Worrell (“Bernie Worrell, man. Fuck!”). Considering shut-ins Gene and Dean Ween go on tour once every umpteen years, it makes sense that they go the distance and blow multiple loads when they decide to come out of the studio for some fresh air – and no one at the Greek can complain about not getting their money’s worth. Few cuts from the band’s latest release Quebec made up the set, but with a catalog as versatile and schizophrenic as Ween’s, it didn’t seem to matter. From “Spinal Meningitis” to “Piss Up A Rope,” “Exactly Where I’m At” to “Buenos Tardes, Amigo,” and “Bananas and Blow” to “Mister Would You Please Help My Pony,” the bases were covered, the Weeners were bouncing, and everyone was satisfied. Gene, Dean, we’ll see you again in 2014. - Erik Fong

Evan Dando – September 24, 2003
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco

As an artist who never walks down the middle of the mental road – he’s always either too high or too low, too hot or too cold – former Lemonhead Evan Dando wasn’t quite at the top of his game in San Francisco. Was it the fact that the mostly-sober Dando’s show was sponsored by MGD? Was it because his now-platonic partner in crime, Juliana Hatfield, was unable to accompany him on this tour leg? Perhaps it was the crystal meth, or lack thereof? Maybe it was because his opener, the more energetic and outgoing Rhett Miller, both stole the show and provided an all too eerie “before/after” drug warning as Dando’s preceding act? After all, Rhett did shamelessly remind everyone at the beginning of his set it that was indeed “Miller time.” [pause for sighs and groans] Whatever the reason, the stars just weren’t aligned well enough to turn Dando’s frown upside down. Not even “The Big Gay Heart” could make Evan’s heart big and gay again. But Evan and company marched on, performing a healthy amount of material from the new Baby I’m Bored – “The Same Thing You Thought Hard About,” “Hard Drive,” All My Life” and “My Idea,” among others – as well as select Lemonheads cuts like “The Great Big No” and the masterful “The Outdoor Type.” Capping the encore-less night was a solo acoustic Evan performance, which included “Skulls” – a folked-out Misfits cover that made Evan fans shed tears of joy, while Misfits fans shed tears of what-the-fuck-did-this-guy-do-to-my-song. - Erik Fong