Ween - Philly Met 2022

Ween turned The Met Philadelphia into one of the weirdest and most entertaining rock shows in town with a two-night stand on December 9 and 10, 2022. The Philadelphia concerts were part of the band's extensive 2022 touring schedule, with each night featuring a completely different setlist.

The first night was a 33-song marathon that lasted more than two and a half hours. Ween opened with “Strap On That Jammy Pac” and “Piss Up a Rope,” immediately establishing the anything-goes attitude that has made the band such a unique live attraction. “The Golden Eel,” “Mango Woman,” “Roses Are Free,” and “Push th' Little Daisies” followed.

The set kept bouncing between completely different sides of Ween. “Japanese Cowboy,” “Buckingham Green,” “Gabrielle,” “Mutilated Lips,” “Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down),” and “Exactly Where I'm At” demonstrated how easily the band could jump from country parody to psychedelic rock to absurdist comedy and back again.

One of the biggest surprises came when Ween performed Prince's “Purple Rain.” The song wasn't originally on the written setlist and appears to have been added spontaneously, giving the Philadelphia audience an unexpected cover in the middle of an already unpredictable performance.

The following night was just as ambitious, but completely different. December 10 featured 34 songs, beginning with “Fiesta,” “Nan,” “Transdermal Celebration,” and “The Grobe.” The set eventually moved through “A Tear for Eddie,” “The Stallion, Part 3,” “Stroker Ace,” “Chocolate Town,” “Voodoo Lady,” and “Happy Colored Marbles.”

That second night also included a particularly nice acoustic stretch, with Gene Ween performing acoustically on “I Don't Want to Leave You on the Farm,” “Chocolate Town,” “Help Me Scrape the Mucus Off My Brain,” “Tried and True,” and “Oh My Dear (I'm Falling in Love).”

The December 10 finale was another perfect example of Ween's ability to make a concert feel completely unpredictable. “The Mollusk” closed the main set, followed by an encore of “Pork Roll Egg and Cheese,” “Big Jilm,” and “The Argus.”

What made the Philadelphia shows particularly impressive was the sheer variety. Ween wasn't simply playing a collection of its most popular songs. The band could move from beautiful and sincere to ridiculous and filthy within minutes, while still maintaining an extremely tight musical performance.

For Ween fans, The Met Philadelphia was exactly the kind of venue and occasion that suited the band. Two nights, more than 60 different songs between them, unexpected covers, acoustic performances, extended jams, and plenty of material from throughout the band's career. The December 2022 shows demonstrated why seeing Ween live is less like attending a standard rock concert and more like opening a musical grab bag—you never quite know what is going to come out next.