Ween Cancel Shows, Stop Touring ‘For The Foreseeable Future’
Ween have cancelled their upcoming shows and stopped touring for the foreseeable future, the band announced on social media. The shows were set to celebrate the recent 30th anniversary reissue of their classic album, Chocolate & Cheese.
A post on the band’s official Instagram reads, “It is with sincere regret and heavy hearts that Ween must make the decision to step away from the stage for the foreseeable future. This includes next month’s sold-out Chocolate and Cheese 30th Anniversary show at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia. Despite three great shows this summer, it’s become clear that touring and performing is too taxing on Deaner’s mental health to continue. As always, we thank you for the love, dedication and ongoing support.”
Ween announced the tour in January, including several dates that went ahead the following month. A string of April dates, however, were canceled. Dean Ween said in a statement at the time, “For the majority of my life I have been blessed enough to have a career doing the thing that I love the most… At this moment in time though I need to step away from performing live in order to preserve my mental and spiritual well being, and instead focus on myself and loved ones. I know this will come as a disappointment and with great inconvenience to many people who bought tickets and made travel plans, and for this I sincerely apologize. I look forward to returning to the stage with the enthusiasm, joy, and renewed sense of inspiration that our fans deserve, and that I require of myself when we play live.”
Earlier in the month, the 30th anniversary reissue of Chocolate & Cheese saw a surge in Ween sales. According to an article on Forbes, from one week to the next, the album’s sales count grew by more than 106,000%.
The Chocolate & Cheese reissue debuted on the US Top Album Sales chart at No 15 and reached No 3 on the Vinyl Albums chart.