By: Andrea Myers
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Ben Folds - Photo from his website
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I'd been waiting for Ben Folds to come to Minneapolis and rock my world like he did Tuesday evening at First Avenue for a long, long time. I have a certain spot in my heart carved out for men like Ben Folds, the sensitive yet irreverent songwriter who can wail on the piano better than many a snobby Julliard grad. But since I am just now starting my second year of being legally allowed be intoxicated in public, I haven't been able to get
into many of the shows that have been worth seeing in my lifetime.
So when Ben Folds took the stage and launched into the great opening track "Bastard" off his new album, "Songs for Silverman," I let out a scream that could break glass. I'm not talking about one of those nonchalant, low-pitched woo's that all the cool kids yell at concerts. I literally sounded like a 12-year-old girl. But it was ok because almost everyone there was just as excited (and young and white, by the way) as I was and the whole place erupted in a loud, squealing burst of energy.
Aside from his obvious talent at pounding the ivories, Ben Folds knows how to put on a good show. I was glad I got a seat at one of the tables on the upper floor because it gave me a great view of his hands and an opportunity to sit down and think about the music. I was curious about the kind of set he would choose for the first stop of his US tour to promote his new record, since he has accumulated a wide array of songs in his repertoire over the last ten years.
There were distinctive segments to his 2-hour set, which began with a selection of songs from his solo career. Folds was backed by a tight rhythm section that consisted of Jared Reynolds on bass and Lindsay Jamieson on drums. They often segued from one song right into another, barely giving the audience time to applaud before hammering out the next tune, covering material from Songs for Silverman, his first solo record Rockin' the Suburbs, and a few rarities from the obscure series of EPs released last year. The first section of the concert climaxed with a raunchy cover of Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit," which Folds jokingly remarked should fulfill his quota for saying the word bitch that evening.
After another wild roar of applause the bass player and drummer left the stage and we were left alone with Ben. He began the second portion of the concert with "Eddie Walker," reminding us that the music he wrote with Ben Folds Five is just as worthy of our attention. Things really quieted down when he delivered the emotional one-two punch of his radio hit "Brick," which contemplates the pain of bringing a high school girlfriend to get an abortion, followed by his newer gem "Gracie," a tribute to his daughter. Looking out over the crowd I noticed a lot of people tearing up at this point, and I even got a little misty-eyed myself ("Gracie" was the father-daughter dance song at my wedding last summer). It's clear that Ben Folds fans often have an emotional stake in his music, and I realized that I was no different.
Like any great performer, Ben didn't keep things down for long, speeding things up with "Last Polka" and inviting the audience to "play the instruments" in the crowd favorite "Army." Splitting the audience down the center, we were assigned the trumpet and horn parts to sing during the chorus, an effect that worked surprisingly well .The rhythm section came back to the stage and helped to build more momentum, as the group played a great rendition of "Rockin' the Suburbs." The song retained its energy even without the electric guitar part from the recorded version, and Reynolds really showed off his skills with a driving, fuzzed-out bass part. Throughout most of the concert the trio of musicians blended together so well that it was easy to forget that they have only been together for one year.
The last song of the regular set was "Philosophy," a phenomenal song to hear live and my favorite part of the evening. Folds really cuts loose on this song with a jazzy, complex piano part that features samples of "Rhapsody in Blue" and "Miserlou," and showcases Folds' creative approach to playing the piano. At times he turns it into a rhythm instrument, banging and muting the strings with one hand while masterfully playing the keys with the other.
The room filled with wild appreciative applause as the band left the stage, clearly demanding an encore. The trio came back with two Ben Folds Five classics, the symphonic and rich "Narcolepsy" and the energetic sing-along "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces." Folds ended the evening by standing up, picking up his stool and throwing it angrily at the piano, letting out a loud final clang of the keys and breaking the chair apart. Folds clearly has a unique relationship with his instrument, channeling an intensity unlike any live performer I have ever seen and making this concert-goer scream with joy.
Bastard
Gone
Annie Waits
Jesusland
All U Can Eat (They give no fuck)
You to Thank
Untitled/unfinished song
Still Fighting It
There's Always Someone Cooler Than You
Landed
Bitches Ain't Shit (Dr. Dre cover)
Eddie Walker
Lullabye
Brick
Gracie
Last Polka
Army
Zak and Sara
Where's Summer B
Late
Trusted
Rockin' the Suburbs
Philosophy
Encore:
Narcolepsy
One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces
Location Info:
First Avenue
Artist Info: Ben Folds
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