Ween Album: “Live in Chicago [Bonus CD]”

Ween's "Live in Chicago" provides an amazing glimpse into the Ween phenomenon. This is a band that many have written off as being simply too goofy to be taken seriously. Their career has spanned many years, and the critics haven't been kind for most of it. The fact is though, Ween is a great band.....and this DVD is a prime example of that.

Set at Chicago's Vic Theatre, Ween takes the stage and proceeds to kick your ass. The songlist is very diverse....bridging that long career....and showing off the band's range of styles. Ween can be very melodic, and many of the songs on "Live in Chicago" show their outstanding songwriting ability. Standouts include: "Buckingham Green", "Take Me Away", "Transdermal Celebration", "Voodoo Lady", "Roses are Free", "Mutilated Lips", "Zoloft", and "Big Jilm". Hell, every song is solid.

The best part about this DVD is the sound. The 5.1 mix is crystal clear, and the camera angles are perfect. Many concert DVD producers haven't quite figured the editing formula out yet, but this DVD has great cuts.

Ween has done themselves a favor by releasing this DVD. I think many people will be converted fans after viewing "Live in Chicago."

if you love ween and havent bought the disc yet, maybe you're just short on funds. make it a priority!!! it's so very brown.

if you're new to the band, this is the perfect way to learn what all the fuss is about. everything wonderful about them is present in spades on this set. masterful melodies that stand on their own, even w/o their brilliant, peerless lyrics. and if you can watch gene ween sing w/o being utterly charmed, i'll give you a dollar!

from start to finish, the chicago concert rocks, balls to the wall. deaner growling out the 'blarney stone' is alone worth the purchase price. actually, so is the video for Transdermal Celebration - i'm still blown away by it... one of THE coolest videos EVER.

if you're even remotely interested in ween, you will not be disappointed w/ this set. buy it now.

Hands down, there is no better live act in rock today than Ween. I cannot get enough of seeing these guys live. While there's no substitute for seeing them in person, this will at least keep you satisfied until you can get your next fix of Ween.

This looks like a bootleg copy of the wonderful Soundstage performance by Tom Petty and the Hearbreakers. The audio is excellent, but the picture is fuzzy. Support PBS by buying the real Soundstage Performance (available from Amazon)

, which gets five stars!

Concert movies tend to suck, the very fact that it's recorded and you're watching it in your living room breaks with what's happening, and they tend to end up feeling "guh." You can't feel the energy in the room, you can't look where you would normally look (take a glance at a person around you and you can see how they react) so all of that "ambience" is lost.

I used to do the ween website before they did their own, so I'm biased here, but Ween is such a great live band and it totally shows on this DVD. Their craftsmanship is top notch.

I would agree with the other reviewer about the energy level and level of showmanship being lower than a typical ween show, I think the fact that the cameras were present has a lot to do with that.