Ben Folds

[fluxrad]

So I'm listening to the new Ben Folds and I have to say, me likey. But I just don't know many people that are into his solo stuff. Maybe 'piano' is out? Maybe I'm stuck in the pre post-dot-com era?

Despite his gigantic head, are you 'into' Ben Folds?

[PoBoy321]

I saw Ben Folds live in NYC last summer and he was the best live show I've ever seen.

[istewart]

No and it's not close.

[Eurotrash]

I would have liked it better if he called down.

[fluxrad]

[ QUOTE ]
I saw Ben Folds live in NYC last summer and he was the best live show I've ever seen.

[/ QUOTE ]

No. That's Beck.

But I totally agree with you that Folds puts on one hell of a show (at least the Ben Folds Five did when I saw them like 7 years ago).

[Tron]

[ QUOTE ]
No and it's not close.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wrong.

[YourFoxyGrandma]

He's mellowed out a little too much for my liking with his latest album, but he's in my good book.

[PoBoy321]

When I saw him, he closed with "Army" and before that, I don't think I'd ever felt 100% of a crowd 100% into a song, and I doubt I'll ever feel it again. He played down in DC in early May, but it was during my exams, and then i wasn't home in time to see him in NYC, so I'm kind of keeping a lookout for him to come around again.

[contentless]

[ QUOTE ]
I saw Ben Folds live in NYC last summer and he was the best live show I've ever seen.

[/ QUOTE ]

Him at Avalon is in my top 3 shows ever.

[LostMyMoney]

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When I saw him, he closed with "Army" and before that, I don't think I'd ever felt 100% of a crowd 100% into a song, and I doubt I'll ever feel it again.

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Go see Skynyrd. Look around when they play Freebird.

[fluorescenthippo]

ben folds is +EV

[Kyo Souma II]

[ QUOTE ]

Go see Skynyrd. Look around when they play Freebird.

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So their fans know one song?

50% or so of ben folds audiences sing -every- song.

[Blackjack]

He's decent. Nice to relax and mellow with some Folds Five every now and then.

[edtost]

saw him this year at school; he played some songs from the new album, but that portion of the concert was significantly less awesome than when he played his older stuff and some songs from the five.

[parappa]

I have tickets to the Ben Folds concert this coming Thursday in Cambridge. It was scheduled for last year but he got sick. I'm really looking forward to it. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[playersare]

songs for silverman is ridiculous.

oh [censored] what am I doing on OOT

[brettbrettr]

I voted yea, but he was less dull when he was sometimes funny, sometimes sentimental. Now he's pretty consistently sentimental.

[whiskeytown]

haven't heard the new one but that first one kicked ass....he's an incredible pop writer, although his lyrics sorta leave you going...huh?

(got released during 9/11, and the label pulled it and quietly re-released it in early 2002 - it got a lot more attention then)

my only problem - that song Brick by the old Ben Folds Five - it gets played at 6am the day after Xmas every damn year...LOL

RB

[Shaman]

William Shatner's album with Ben Folds is brilliant. Sounds weird at first but I think its very avan garde. It is an acquired taste, though.

[ozyman]

The only song I have by him is his cover of Dr. Dre's Bitches aint Sh!t. He does a real good job in that.

[mother_brain]

So i'm at this Ben Folds concert some years back. About half way through the show he says "here's a song that we wrote while tripping acid on the bus." Gets out this Flute/Piano thing and plays it for like 5 seconds and says "Thats all"

[Inthacup]

Fear of Pop?? I love that CD. I bought it on a whim at a used CD store wondering why I hadn't heard of it before. It was weird at first, but over time, I grew to really like it.

BF has definitely calmed down over the years. His angst-ridden troubles with women seem to no longer be a creative driving force.

His piano playing is not technically great, but he found a funky original sound that I really like.

[Inthacup]

I saw BFF at the Ryman auditorium once, and it was a fantastic show. I've seen him twice since the band broke up, and it's funny how much the crowd sings along.

In one show, he sang an old BFF song with just him and the piano and the crowd sang all the harmony that Robert Sledge used to sing. Made me miss the old BFF. *tear*

[parappa]

I know this thread has died, but I saw Ben Folds last night in Cambridge. Someone called Clem Snide (whom Mrs. Banjo quite liked) opened.

He had a drummer and a bass guy with him, just as in the five, but they weren't the original two guys. Anyway, he did about ten-ish new tunes (though about everything after "reinhold messner" is new for me lol) which were okay. Then the other 2 left the stage and he did a nice solo piano stint, with "brick", "boxing", and "army" being the ones I remembered. I was very surprised how well the british crowd knew like every one of his songs. He must've been quite popular here a few years ago. Anyway, either before or after "army" the other two came back, and they did a lot of better (older) stuff, really getting into it with the audience. At one point he dragged some chick up on stage from the front row and she played piano (impressively) while he did his improv comedy-act thing. They played "bitches ain't sh*t", "free bird", I don't know what else. Memory is failing; I'm pretty sure that "one angry dwarf" was the last song of the set. For the encore ben came out by himself and played "philosophy" and "underground" solo.

Anyway, it was quite good, and well worth waiting for (it had been scheduled for some time a long time ago and i seem to have had the tickets for like a year). I saw BFF at some converted church in Pontiac, MI in perhaps '99 and I thought that show was better than this one but this one was quite good.

[Uston]

50% or so of ben folds audiences sing -every- song.

If this is the benchmark of greatness, then I guess O.A.R. is the greatest band on the planet.

[IndieMatty]

[ QUOTE ]
I know this thread has died, but I saw Ben Folds last night in Cambridge. Someone called Clem Snide (whom Mrs. Banjo quite liked) opened.

He had a drummer and a bass guy with him, just as in the five, but they weren't the original two guys. Anyway, he did about ten-ish new tunes (though about everything after "reinhold messner" is new for me lol) which were okay. Then the other 2 left the stage and he did a nice solo piano stint, with "brick", "boxing", and "army" being the ones I remembered. I was very surprised how well the british crowd knew like every one of his songs. He must've been quite popular here a few years ago. Anyway, either before or after "army" the other two came back, and they did a lot of better (older) stuff, really getting into it with the audience. At one point he dragged some chick up on stage from the front row and she played piano (impressively) while he did his improv comedy-act thing. They played "bitches ain't sh*t", "free bird", I don't know what else. Memory is failing; I'm pretty sure that "one angry dwarf" was the last song of the set. For the encore ben came out by himself and played "philosophy" and "underground" solo.

Anyway, it was quite good, and well worth waiting for (it had been scheduled for some time a long time ago and i seem to have had the tickets for like a year). I saw BFF at some converted church in Pontiac, MI in perhaps '99 and I thought that show was better than this one but this one was quite good.

[/ QUOTE ]


I love those two songs (encore songs)

[Kyo Souma II]

[ QUOTE ]
50% or so of ben folds audiences sing -every- song.

If this is the benchmark of greatness, then I guess O.A.R. is the greatest band on the planet.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, because they suck, their fans are mostly inebriated, and they're usually just pretending to know the words to anything that isn't a shitty island-rock 1-4-5-4 song about poker.

-kyo

[CD56]

i think my favorite thing about BF is his "everyman" quality, i don't know what it is, he seems like a normal guy who is also a singer, kinda paul giamatti-ish

[LoaferGee12]

[ QUOTE ]
He's mellowed out a little too much for my liking with his latest album, but he's in my good book.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed. I still like his stuff on Songs for Silverman but I liked when his songs were a bit more upbeat.