On September 20th, 1991, Ween released the 23-track Scotchguard-fueled lo-fi stoner epic The Pod. Following the band’s studio debut GodWeenSatan: The Oneness the previous year, The Pod cemented Ween’s unapologetically unorthodox sound and saw the band lean into its oddball image by feeding the public tales of inhalant-fueled excess—laying the groundwork for the cult following that continues to this day.

Around the time of the release, Ween played a few concerts around New York and New Jersey opening for punk legends Ramones, heavy metal shock rockers Mentors, and more. Before embarking on the band’s first European tour, Ween had a show at the now-fabled Wetlands Preserve in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City, opening for Dead Milkmen on October 12th.

At this point, founders Aaron “Gene Ween” Freeman and Mickey “Dean Ween” Melchiondo still performed as a two-piece band backed by their trusty DAT drum machine, though they didn’t need any outside help paintin’ the town Brown that evening. Ween conspicuously avoided overt attempts to plug the new album, playing just two songs from The Pod in the one-hour, 15-song set. Though it may not have moved many CDs, the band’s Wetlands show is a gem from Ween’s avant early days as Gener shrieks through rarities “Stacey”, “Seconds”, and “Cover it with Gas and Set it on Fire” along with raw takes on classics “Captain Fantasy”, “Marble Tulip Juicy Tree”, “Puerto Rican Power”, “Fat Lenny”, and more.

Watch Ween perform at Wetlands Preserve in New York City on October 12th, 1991.

Ween — Wetlands Preserve — New York, NY — 10/12/91 — Full Video

[Video: J. Parrish]

Setlist: Ween | Wetlands Preserve | New York, NY | 10/12/1991

Set: Squelch the Weasel, Stacey, Captain Fantasy, Boing, Marble Tulip Juicy Tree, Puerto Rican Power, Tender Situation, Seconds, Reggaejunkiejew, The Wind, The Goin’ Gets Tough From the Getgo (unfinished), Cover It With Gas and Set It on Fire, Sketches of Winkle, You Fucked Up, Fat Lenny, Tick

– opened for Dead Milkmen
– Goin’ Gets Tough attempted twice
– the stage lost power toward the end of Sketches of Winkle
– false start on Tick
– 3 brownbase users attended this show