The Dean Ween Group whipped a packed Megalomaniacs Ball into a frothing frenzy last night, leading a four band onslaught of massive guitar riffs and what seemed like every kind of drum ever made.  Held at beloved New Orleans venue The Howlin’ Wolf, the Dean Ween Group had plenty of help blowing minds thanks to support acts like Mike Dillon’s New Orleans Punk Rock Percussion Consortium, The Stanton Moore Trio, and The Illuminaughty Trio, as well as a extra Mike Dillon set thrown in for good measure.

With the hoopla surrounding the return of Ween, interest in the band and their music is at an all-time high. Dean and his band, among them fellow Ween member Dave Dreiwitz on bass, had the audience hypnotized with a mixture of dense and distorted psychedelic guitar riffs and a expansive sound that shook the ground itself.  Running through a mix of Ween tunes, and even a well received dark cover of Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced?,” left no one in attendance disappointed.

Check out a couple of video highlights from the show, including a special Mike Dillon sit-in below:

Thanks to taper Miggy1970, we can listen to the Dean Ween Group’s “Hot and Sleazy–Warm and Greasy” New Orleans performance:

Setlist: Dean Ween Group at The Howlin’ Wolf, New Orleans, LA – 4/27/16

Set: Dickie Betts, Pandy Fackler, Doo Doo Chasers, Mercedes Benz, Bundle Of Joy, Garry, Are U Experienced*, Excercise Man>A Tear For Eddie, The Rift, She Fucks Me, Fingerbangin’ 

Encore: Sivad (Miles Davis)

*Jimi Hendrix

Mike Dillon pulled extra duty, between his aforementioned sit-in with the headliner; he also brought a pair of his many side projects, including The Illuminaughty and the Punk Rock Percussion Consortium.  Dillon ran from xylophone to drum kit to 10 foot chimes with the mania and mastery he is known for so well. In between book ends of Dillon’s mayhem, The Stanton Moore Trio, a side project for the Galactic drummer, kept the percussive-centric theme going.  Moore even took the stage to help his friend Dillon and the army he had assembled for a couple of tunes.

Check out Moore’s sit in with Mike Dillon’s Punk Rock Percussion Consortium below:

When the lights came up after the end of The Megalomaniacs Ball, the crowd seemed stunned, as if the return to reality were more than they could handle…a fine testament to the beautifully bizarre musical journey they had just endured.