It didn’t take long into Ben Folds’ set at the Agora theater on Wednesday night to see his song writing genius in real time. What solidified it was his fourth song, “All You Can Eat,” when he had the entire Agora audience laughing out loud for saying they could cancel his dad for his opinions that were about to be expressed in the song. You then got a song with a poignant message about judging others, but it’s packaged in this hilarious way. That’s where Folds shines, as he would show throughout the evening: He knows how to package lyrics in a way that might cause you to look a bit inward, but damn can it be hilarious while you do it.
Folds is currently touring in select cities in the US and abroad on his “Ben Folds and a Piano” tour. Playing mostly mid-sized to smaller venues, these shows make for a more intimate setting. Folds and fans alike seem to prefer these more intimate shows, and with good reason. The attendees are often true fans that really want to see him play more songs than just the hits. They know the lyrics to all the songs, even with setlists varying and surprise songs at each show, which keeps things fresh and unpredictable, another staple of the Ben Folds show.
The first taste the crowd got of Folds was not during his set; it was during the opener Lindsey Kraft, for which Folds came out and played drums on about half the songs. All the songs in Kraft’s set are part of a musical that she wrote and Folds is producing, set to premier Off-Broadway in August of this year. (Judging by the songs, the show will be one to catch.)
The show was completely seated, not unheard of at the Agora, but definitely not the norm. This also made the show more intimate and allowed the audience to focus on the music itself, which these sorts of songs are made for. No need to elbow your sweaty number to try and get a better view.
Folds delivered on the promise of the tour name as well. It was indeed just him and a piano, but that completely undersells it. He’s not only a musical virtuoso, starting the piano by ear at age nine, he is also a blast to see live. He puts his all into the performances, bouncing between humor, all out rocking, pop songs, and utterly heart wrenching ballads.
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The songs oscillated between whimsy and heartbreak throughout the evening. That whimsy was evident in songs like “Effington” from 2008’s ‘Way to Normal,‘ which features lyrics like “If there is a god, he’s laughing at us and our football team.” The heartbreak comes in forms like “Fred Jones, Pt. 2,” a song about a newspaper man who gets kicked out of his job unceremoniously. It features lyrics like “No one’s left here who knows his first name. There was no party, there were no songs. Cause today’s just a day like the day that he started.” That one had members of the audience in visible tears.
As the former director of the Kennedy Center (that’s its name), Folds is used to being on stage. (If you haven’t seen him compose a song live with the orchestra on YouTube, definitely check that out!) But talk to anyone who has been to a Ben Folds show and they’ll no doubt bring up how funny and affable he is. He told funny anecdotes of how songs like “Paddleboat Breakup” came to be, by waiting to break up with his girlfriend until she had him out on a lake in a paddleboat.
There was also a lot of audience involvement, like when Folds prompted them to sing the duet parts of “You Don’t Know Me,” but also totally unprompted throughout the evening.
He played songs from the earlier in his solo career like “Landed,” with that wonderful and instantly recognizable piano. That’s one of his pop songs that sneaks in a sad story in a pretty package, which he is a master at doing. He also played material released recently like “Back to Anonymous,” from 2023. On the latter, he forgot the lyrics, stopped the song, and asked if someone backstage could print them out. In the meantime, he played “Gracie,” per a request from the audience. Once he had the lyrics, he played the remaining portion of Anonymous.
Speaking of audience request. 20 or so years ago, Folds put out a live album that featured an audience member shouting the words, “Rock This Bitch!” Folds found it so amusing he wrote an impromptu song on the spot about it. That moment turned out to be a fateful one, because for the last 20 years, people have been shouting the same thing at every show, and Folds has been writing a song on the spot nearly every time. He’s expressed lately how he’s sort of created a monster with this situation. There’s always one guy at every show shouting it, and fans seem divided, but I could personally do without it. However, it worked Wednesday night. Folds wrote a 60s style singalong protest song about a guy forgetting words and shitting his pants, while the crowd shouted “Trump!” It was admittedly funny.
After closing with a raucous “Zak and Sara,” he encored with the classic “Army,” playing the entire song while standing up at the piano and absolutely rocking out. The show on Wednesday was full of die-hards, but the great thing about a Ben Folds show is that he’s so entertaining, you don’t have to know a single song to enjoy the show. He’s that good. And the fact that he’s playing these more intimate venues is such a treat.
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