Ben Folds Performs with the Baltimore Symphony
June 28, 2006
Columbia, Maryland
Ben Folds is quite the entertainer. From brilliant piano playing to utter wit, his show with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Merriweather Post Pavilion was pure joy. His raw talent and personality shone through during the performance and his music lent itself perfectly to the full, rich sounds of orchestral accompaniment.
In the mid 1990s, when he’d led Ben Folds Five (who were actually just three), we heard potent, anger-tinged rock ballads about being the underdog—from having his lunch money stolen as a kid to dealing with obnoxious ex-girlfriends as an adult—and we cheered at his success, the ultimate revenge for every bully and b*tch he’d ever confronted. The band released three studio albums, featuring several hits, before Folds went solo in 2000 and garnered much success, particularly his critically acclaimed latest album, Songs for Silverman.
He performed a healthy mix of Ben Folds Five and solo songs. He and the orchestra played five songs from the hit BFF album Whatever and Ever Amen, including the melancholy hit "Brick." Another song from that album, “Steven’s Last Night in Town,” he said paid tribute to a friend who kept resurfacing despite the repeated goodbye parties thrown for him; it benefited greatly from the horn section.
The romping “Philosophy” from BFF’s first album opened with the unmistakable, powerful piano intro and the audience happily chimed in during the chorus. Some guys later yelled out a request and Folds playfully warned that the orchestra wasn’t accustomed to heckling. Throughout the night, he was gracious with the crowd.
“The Ascent of Stan,” one of five songs he’d perform from his Rockin’ the Suburbs solo effort, sounded exceptional with the backing orchestra. “Narcolepsy,” from BFF’s Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, sounded richer and fuller with the benefit of the string section.
Folds is fascinating to watch live. He becomes one with the piano—as if it’s an extension of his body. At one point, mid-song, he plucked the strings under the grand piano’s cover.
Part of Folds's appeal is his ability to transform the intense range of emotions of an average guy into beautiful, expressive power ballads. This concert was a triumph and, most noteworthy, it exposed a younger generation to the beauty and power of the orchestra.
SETLIST
Zak & Sara
Smoke
Ascent of Stan
Philosophy
Mess (solo)
The Last Polka (solo)
Fred Jones Part II
Lullabye
Landed
Steven’s Last Night In Town
Annie Waits
Brick
Boxing
Evaporated
One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces
Not the Same
Narcolepsy
Encore: The Luckiest
Columbia, Maryland
Recommended beverage to go with this show:
something hoppy but, really,
it’s a “battle of who could care less”
Ben Folds is quite the entertainer. From brilliant piano playing to utter wit, his show with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Merriweather Post Pavilion was pure joy. His raw talent and personality shone through during the performance and his music lent itself perfectly to the full, rich sounds of orchestral accompaniment.
In the mid 1990s, when he’d led Ben Folds Five (who were actually just three), we heard potent, anger-tinged rock ballads about being the underdog—from having his lunch money stolen as a kid to dealing with obnoxious ex-girlfriends as an adult—and we cheered at his success, the ultimate revenge for every bully and b*tch he’d ever confronted. The band released three studio albums, featuring several hits, before Folds went solo in 2000 and garnered much success, particularly his critically acclaimed latest album, Songs for Silverman.
He performed a healthy mix of Ben Folds Five and solo songs. He and the orchestra played five songs from the hit BFF album Whatever and Ever Amen, including the melancholy hit "Brick." Another song from that album, “Steven’s Last Night in Town,” he said paid tribute to a friend who kept resurfacing despite the repeated goodbye parties thrown for him; it benefited greatly from the horn section.
The romping “Philosophy” from BFF’s first album opened with the unmistakable, powerful piano intro and the audience happily chimed in during the chorus. Some guys later yelled out a request and Folds playfully warned that the orchestra wasn’t accustomed to heckling. Throughout the night, he was gracious with the crowd.
“The Ascent of Stan,” one of five songs he’d perform from his Rockin’ the Suburbs solo effort, sounded exceptional with the backing orchestra. “Narcolepsy,” from BFF’s Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, sounded richer and fuller with the benefit of the string section.
Folds is fascinating to watch live. He becomes one with the piano—as if it’s an extension of his body. At one point, mid-song, he plucked the strings under the grand piano’s cover.
Part of Folds's appeal is his ability to transform the intense range of emotions of an average guy into beautiful, expressive power ballads. This concert was a triumph and, most noteworthy, it exposed a younger generation to the beauty and power of the orchestra.
SETLIST
Zak & Sara
Smoke
Ascent of Stan
Philosophy
Mess (solo)
The Last Polka (solo)
Fred Jones Part II
Lullabye
Landed
Steven’s Last Night In Town
Annie Waits
Brick
Boxing
Evaporated
One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces
Not the Same
Narcolepsy
Encore: The Luckiest
posted by Dana @ 5:37 PM
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