Ben Folds + the Boston Pops 2009
KEEN EXPERIENCE - This past Friday was one of the biggest treats of the last year. Ben Folds [RSL Best of 2009] took the stage at Symphony Hall to play with the Boston Pops and it was all you could hope it would be. He got at least three standing ovations and the crowd had to be practically dragged to the street.
ben folds
Fold's song selection ran the gamut. From "Smoke" and "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" off 'Whatever and Ever Amen' to "Effington" from his latest, 'Way to Normal' to two unreleased songs that he is writing in collaboration with Nick Hornby, of "High Fidelity" fame. His anecdote about working with Nick and the challenges he overcame writing the song about the aging rock star was hysterical. "Do you know how hard it is to find a way to include the chorus in the first verse of a song?"
"Effington"
from Way to Normal
from Way to Normal
There are many standouts from this show such as Ben Folds trying his hand at conducting, the audience, with fairly solid reults. However, the greatest moment of the night came after his second encore. The Pops had joined him for a one song encore, but left him to perform the second on his own. He gave us a few more songs and that was the show..or was it? The lights came up, the ushers opened the doors, but apart from a few bemued season ticket holders, noone would leave. The place was bezerk.
After what seemed much longer than it probably was, he reappeared. After quieting the audience, he promised one more song if everyone would be very very quiet. "I've wanted to do this my whole life!" He then wandered toward the back of the stage where he busted out the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" on the Celesta before heading back to the piano to close out the night with "Rockin' the Suburbs"....and...the audience did sing along... AND...everyone yelled "Fuck!" A brilliant night.
Comments
Looking forward to it in a week or so... (10/20/09). I'll post a review on my blog when done. I hope I can sneak in my camera.
~Dan