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27 май 2025
BEN WEINMAN On THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN Reunion Shows: 'We're Just Having A Great Time'
The first THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN comeback gig took place in June 2024 in Brooklyn, New York and saw the band play "Calculating Infinity" in its entirety for the first time, with original vocalist Dimitri Minakakis joining Weinman, bassist Liam Wilson and drummer Billy Rymer.
Regarding how THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN reunion shows came about, Ben said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we hadn't had any thoughts of doing any kind of shows since the last shows. And then we had gotten an offer to do a special festival [appearance] doing our first album with our original singer. And it just wasn't really the right time. We could never be ready in time. And it was, like, 'Yeah, we never really thought about it. But, yeah, that was a cool thought.' And then I was talking to our booking agent. I was just letting him know. I was, like, 'Yeah, my buddy reached out to me about headlining their festival doing this thing. That's pretty funny.' And then he's, like, 'Well, next year is the 25th anniversary of that album. So if you were gonna do something, that would definitely be cool.' I was, like, 'Hmm, it'd be cool.' And I definitely wanted to do some stuff with our old singer. He's still one of my best friends, and he never really got to really see the band in its full success and stuff like that. So, yeah, it just ended up making sense."
Regarding the setlist for the reunion shows, Ben said: "We're doing these shows with our original singer, who wasn't on the majority of our catalog. He did our first two EPs and our first ful-length. So we're really just doing the entire first album — we're doing 'Calculating Infinity' in its entirety — and then the EP before that in its entirety and then cuts from the first EP plus maybe a cover. It's really just kind of old stuff, but it still feels fresh. It definitely still feels fresh."
Asked what the vibe has been like within the reunited band, Ben said: "We didn't break up because we were fighting, but it was, like, we definitely were tired and we definitely felt like we saw it through. And then we left and didn't hang out too much or talk too much. Dimitri and I continued to always be friends and talk and hang out and stuff. And then when we started getting together to rehearse, it was just so positive and fun.
"I think when you're doing something after many years that you don't feel like you have to do it and you've just grown and matured and moved on in life and we've had kids and we've had all kinds of things happen that just really shape you, which a lot of band guys don't get to do for a very long time 'cause they're just stuck in this cycle of a teenager forever," he explained. "So I think just still feeling hungry and fresh and excited by this music, but having a little more maturity to just really appreciate each other and appreciate the opportunities has made it super fun and enjoyable. Really, really cool. Really fun. We're just having a great time."
This past March, Ben told Australia's Heavy about THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's comeback: "It's been a lot of years [since we last played together], and it was kind of a tough decision to make [to return to the live stage], but we're really glad we did it because we've been having a really good time.
"[In addition to playing all of 'Calculate Infinity'], we've been playing an EP that we put out with the original singer before that called 'Under The Running Board' and then also cuts from our very first early, early stuff that we did when we first started the band. And then we try to do some covers — a different cover every night — and we're just having a good time up there, man. But it is definitely the first time we've done all that kind of early material all back to back like that. So it's been interesting and challenging."
Asked if it was challenging performing some of the early THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN material after so much time had passed, Ben said: "Honestly, when I was writing that stuff, I couldn't play any of it. I just was', like, 'Let me write songs I can't play and then I'd better get good enough to play 'em.' The later incarnation of the band did play some older songs from those albums, but there are a lot of them that we hadn't played in a very, very long time, if ever," he explained. "So those ones were definitely more challenging because we just didn't even have the muscle memory."
On the topic of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's future plans, Ben said: "Well, we put the first [Brooklyn] show on sale, and it was really quickly that we decided — it wasn't even that much time between agreeing to do this and actually announcing it. And we knew we might do two nights if it did well, but it ended up selling out three nights in, like, an hour or something — just instantly. And that was super surprising, because it ended up doing far better than even our final DILLINGER shows. So the fact that there were so many people who wanted to see this, even in this form of the band, and there was so much more movement… I mean, the final shows were exciting and the tickets sold quick and it was amazing, but to see that there was even more interest now than there was when we fully announced, 'This is it. This is your last chance to see us,' that felt pretty crazy. And so I think the additional shows we've been playing is definitely because of the fans and the fact that we're having a good time. We're just having a good time together as friends and enjoying it. We're hanging out together and we're enjoying it and we're playing music that was important to our youth and there's a lot of people who still wanna see it. So it's kind of like we're playing it by ear — if there's a real need for it and people really want it, we entertain it. There's no plan — we don't have a plan with it — but we're definitely not closing the door to playing shows here and there."
Minakakis originally exited THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN in 2001 and was replaced by Greg Puciato, who is now a solo artist also known as a member of Jerry Cantrell's backing band, as well as his involvement with the groups BETTER LOVERS, KILLER BE KILLED and THE BLACK QUEEN. Minakakis joined THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN onstage in December 2017 during that lineup's three final performances at Terminal 5 in New York City.
In May 2024, Puciato was asked how he felt about the announcement that Minakakis was reuniting with Weinman, the group's lone consistent member over the years, along with fellow alumni Wilson and Rymer, for shows celebrating the 25th anniversary of "Calculating Infinity". He responded: "It doesn't bother me at all. When people ask me that, as if I'm gonna be bummed, I'm, like, why would I be bummed? I'm not on the record. To me, if the band was still a band, and some of those guys, obviously [original members Brian] Benoit [rhythm guitar], [Chris] Pennie [drums] and Adam [Doll, bass] aren't [part of the reunion shows], but if, if Dimitri and Ben were, like, 'Hey, we wanna do some 'Calculating Infinity' shows, what am I gonna do? Be, like, 'No!' That doesn't make any sense. I wasn't on the record."
Greg continued: "So, I hope they're wildly successful with it, and I hope that it does a lot of good for them — I hope it makes them feel good personally, those two. 'Cause, obviously, Liam and Billy were not on that record, but the ending of them before I joined, I don't think it was — it wasn't fulfilling. It wasn't a fulfilling closure. It wasn't exactly on everybody's terms involved. So I think them being able to go back and do this and celebrate what is non-arguably a fucking genre-changing milestone record that many bands would not exist if it wasn't for. They should play everywhere. They should come to London, they should go play festivals, they should do everything. Like I said, I'm all for it, man."
Puciato then quipped, "Don't play 'Miss Machine'," referencing THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's second studio album, which marked his first recorded appearance with the band.
"Calculating Infinity" stands as a genre-defining masterpiece, marking a pivotal moment not only for THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN but for the entire genre. It landed on countless "Best Of The Year" lists the year it dropped including Best Metal Album of the Year by Revolver magazine. It was later listed among the Top 10 Metal Albums of All Time by Metal Injection. Loudwire has since placed the record third on their list of "25 Best Metalcore Albums Of All-Time" with writer Stephen Hill stating that "the influence of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN is present at every major rock festival in the shape of any forward-thinking, heavy band and even in the current metalcore or tech-metal production line (who have aped elements of their sound in the most piss-weak and desperate way). But the fact that these bands are here at all and able to appeal to a wider audience is in no small part due to the trail blazed by 'Calculating Infinity' and its utter contempt for compromise and uniformity." In 2017 Rolling Stone called the LP "one of the greatest metal albums of all time" and despite disbanding that same year, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's legacy continues to inspire musicians and fans alike.
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