Optimus Prime
04-04-2007, 10:38 AM
The wife and I went to the Ben Folds concert in Normal, IL Tuesday. I'm a self-proclaimed music nut and love well-written and performed music from every genre. I've been to all sorts of concerts, and I have rarely missed a Ben Folds concert within a 5 hour radius of my location. He is, IMHO, one of the best songwriters (both lyrically and musically) and performers currently on the market. His ability on the piano (and other keyboard instruments) is unrivaled. In addition, his ability to play most all rock and orchestral instruments at a professional level is amazing. Lastly, his ability and love for musical improv only highlights the depth of his musical abilities. I have a DVD from a show he performed in Perth with the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra in which he directs the various sections of the orchestra as to the key they should each be playing WHILE playing the piano... All of which was made up on the fly.
Eef Barzelay was the opening act, and quite a bit better than when I saw him 3 years ago when he was playing with Clem Snide. It probably helps that he wasn't drinking beer and chain smoking on stage this time.
Ben Folds
SET:
1. Theme from Dr. Pyser
2. Trusted
3. Gone
4. Airplane Jam which turned into
5. Effington Rock this Bitch ** Improv about the town Effingham, where he ate McDonald's earlier that day **
6. All U Can Eat
7. Jesusland
8. Bastard
9. Cooler than You
10. Still Fighting It
11. Losing Lisa
12. Midgets Freebird (It was strange) **Improv with elements of Freebird, Rock this bitch, and something about midgets**
13. You to Thank
14. Landed
15. Bitches Ain't Shit *Dr. Dre cover*
16. Gracie (solo)
17. Eddie Walker (solo)
18. Lullabye (solo)
19. Roll Out the Barrel (without the words, I still know them.)
20. Drum and Bass jam at the same time. INCREDIBLE. **Improv**
21. Evaporated (solo)
22. Narcolepsy
23. Such Great Heights *Cover song*
24. Army
25. Kate
26. Zak and Sara
27. Underground
ENCORE:
28. Short Bus Benny
29. One Angry Dwarf
30. Not the Same ***Nut shot***
For this tour, he's back with a bass player and a drummer. It's more of a rock show, with tons of energy. He still played a mid-set that was just him on the Piano and more mild. The night ended with him conducting the crowd (he does this for "Not the Same" and "Army" ) while only wearing a t-shirt and boxers. While standing on the piano, he bent down to indicate the bass section and his misters fell out of his boxers. The next night, a friend at his MSU show, said he played a song about how he flashed his nuts at the Normal, IL event.
During his solo-set he started discussing the Polka songs he played for money when he was young, and then his early bass career in which he lied about his ability to play bass in order to join a funk band so that he could quit the polka gig (he learned bass on the fly with the band, they never knew). He then picked up the bass, and sat at the drum set. At which time he played both the drums and bass in an amazing funk solo that George Clinton would have loved. It helps to note that Ben Folds went to the University of Miami on a drum scholarship, and afterwards was a session drummer in Nashville. During the solo he would, at times, play the bass with the drum sticks and/or play the drums with his hands.
This tour also has him touring with a mid-seventies tone machine (Synth) set up to the right of his piano. During "Narcolepsy" he took off his right shoe and sock, and proceded to play the rythem section with his foot on the tone machine while still carrying the melody and harmony on the Piano. I could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the point. Ben Folds is very possibly the best rock piano musician in the genre.
If you have the chance, go see him live.
Eef Barzelay was the opening act, and quite a bit better than when I saw him 3 years ago when he was playing with Clem Snide. It probably helps that he wasn't drinking beer and chain smoking on stage this time.
Ben Folds
SET:
1. Theme from Dr. Pyser
2. Trusted
3. Gone
4. Airplane Jam which turned into
5. Effington Rock this Bitch ** Improv about the town Effingham, where he ate McDonald's earlier that day **
6. All U Can Eat
7. Jesusland
8. Bastard
9. Cooler than You
10. Still Fighting It
11. Losing Lisa
12. Midgets Freebird (It was strange) **Improv with elements of Freebird, Rock this bitch, and something about midgets**
13. You to Thank
14. Landed
15. Bitches Ain't Shit *Dr. Dre cover*
16. Gracie (solo)
17. Eddie Walker (solo)
18. Lullabye (solo)
19. Roll Out the Barrel (without the words, I still know them.)
20. Drum and Bass jam at the same time. INCREDIBLE. **Improv**
21. Evaporated (solo)
22. Narcolepsy
23. Such Great Heights *Cover song*
24. Army
25. Kate
26. Zak and Sara
27. Underground
ENCORE:
28. Short Bus Benny
29. One Angry Dwarf
30. Not the Same ***Nut shot***
For this tour, he's back with a bass player and a drummer. It's more of a rock show, with tons of energy. He still played a mid-set that was just him on the Piano and more mild. The night ended with him conducting the crowd (he does this for "Not the Same" and "Army" ) while only wearing a t-shirt and boxers. While standing on the piano, he bent down to indicate the bass section and his misters fell out of his boxers. The next night, a friend at his MSU show, said he played a song about how he flashed his nuts at the Normal, IL event.
During his solo-set he started discussing the Polka songs he played for money when he was young, and then his early bass career in which he lied about his ability to play bass in order to join a funk band so that he could quit the polka gig (he learned bass on the fly with the band, they never knew). He then picked up the bass, and sat at the drum set. At which time he played both the drums and bass in an amazing funk solo that George Clinton would have loved. It helps to note that Ben Folds went to the University of Miami on a drum scholarship, and afterwards was a session drummer in Nashville. During the solo he would, at times, play the bass with the drum sticks and/or play the drums with his hands.
This tour also has him touring with a mid-seventies tone machine (Synth) set up to the right of his piano. During "Narcolepsy" he took off his right shoe and sock, and proceded to play the rythem section with his foot on the tone machine while still carrying the melody and harmony on the Piano. I could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the point. Ben Folds is very possibly the best rock piano musician in the genre.
If you have the chance, go see him live.