Three Cheers for made up Last Names

Pop punk fans from all over the world gathered Friday night to witness Screeching Weasel destroy the Troc. They don't have a new album out, they're down to one founding member and Ben Weasel is sporting a pretty decent dad gut, but that didn't stop a couple of people from flying from Russia to see the legendary Chicago band tear through an hour's worth of 90's nostalgia. It was basically the Ben Weasel show, but Danny Vapid substituted for John Jughead on guitar and backing vocals, so there was at least one other recognizable face on stage.
With little fanfare, Screeching Weasel took the stage in Philadelphia for the first time in 17 years and immediately blasted into "Cindy's on Methadone," "Guest List," and "Dingbat" with nary a word to the audience. Ben and his merry gang took only a few brief pauses to catch their breath and to thank the crowd and give Philly some props. Weasel was accommodating to most of their catalog, playing both Brady Bunch songs ("Peter Brady" and "Murder in the Brady House"), "99," "My Right," "My Brain Hurts," and "First Day of Summer." "Joanie loves Johnny" probably got the best audience response, with a pit that encompassed most of the floor and it was great to hear the whole crowd shouting "We don't give a shit about tomorrow!" during "Hey Suburbia." (Complete with the Shut Up ending.) They closed (no encore) with the classic trio "Science of Myth," "Cool Kids," and "What We Hate." Ben obviously tried hard to appease fans who admire all of Screeching Weasel's different eras and succeeded in putting together at set list that made the almost two decade wait well worth it.

Some of Friday's show was recorded for a still in production documentary about Screeching Weasel. We have heard through the grapevine (internet whispers and rumors) that this project is being headed by one of Ben's cohorts from Panic Button! Records, so methinks that Ben will ultimately have final say on what goes into the move and what ends up on the killing floor. None the less, this is probably going to be the only movie on this particular subject, assuming that they finish the thing and get it released. There is a website, but it is just a link to an email addy. They were passing out a flyer at the show looking for anything Weasel, pics, fanzines, tattoos, stories. If you got something to contribute and want to be included, give 'em a shout.

Weasel Movie