Ben Folds hasn't done something like this since 2017 which is a little weird because it sounds so fun and wholesome and he claims everyone loved it.
Back then he invited fans to put a song they wanted him to play on a piece of paper, then they had to fold it into a paper airplane and aim it to the stage so he could read it, smile, and then perform it on his magical piano.
"The last time I did this on tour the response was overwhelming," Folds wrote on an Instagram post, "with literally hundreds of paper airplanes with song requests being launched on cue from fans at the start of the second half of each of my concerts. It’s the purest, most low-tech form of engagement that creates a special bond with my audiences.”
Not only is he getting ready to do it again, but this time it will be on a 747-sized tour spanning 74 cities around North America.
So can you request cover songs? Can you request deep cuts? What about tunes that don't really fit his typical vibe?
Yes. Yes. Yes. In 2017 Ben was accompanied with a songbook he sometimes referred to for standards, like "Freebird" he hadn't yet committed to memory.
"It's finally happened to me," he said in Tampa, Florida, before diving into a shockingly beautiful version of the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic.
Finally? According to our records, it was the 24th time he had performed it live in his career and the fifth time on that inaugural tour that went on through 2018.
That particular tour lasted 60 shows and took him around the globe.
The cover he played the most that tour was Dr. Dre's "Bitches Aint Shit."
Folds has performed the song 177 times in concert, which is 167 times more than anyone else. Snoop Dogg is in second place with a mere 10 performances throughout various incarnations.
Fun fact: Dre and Snoop have only rocked it once together, and no it wasn't at their Super Bowl performance nor at Coachella.
Is the song too controversial for gangsta rappers from Long Beach & Compton but not a bespectacled pianist from Greensboro, North Carolina?
What would I put on a paper airplane for Ben? Definitely a cover. But not one to stump him with. Something I actually like that he's played recently.
Probably "Ghost in You" by the Psychedelic Furs. A track he put on a flexi disc and slid into limited edition colored vinyl versions of his most recent LP, What Matters Most.
The presale for the tour happens today, so if you have good paper airplane folding skills and a fine touch, you might wanna grab your tickets now before they fly away.
Here's a tutorial on the engineering of a great paper airplane.
Ben Folds 2024 Tour Dates:
05/30 – Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall
05/31 – Augusta, GA @ Bell Auditorium
06/01 – Peachtree City, GA @ The Fred
06/02 – Pelham, TN @ The Caverns
06/04 – Charlotte, NC @ Belk Theater
06/06 – Savannah, GA @ District Live
06/07 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Sandler Center for the Performing Arts
06/08 – Rocky Mount, VA @ Harvester Performance Center
06/09 – Pittsburgh, PA @ 3 Rivers Arts Festival
06/11 – Richmond, VA @ Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
06/21 – Lowell, MA @ Lowell Summer Music Series
06/22 – Great Barrington, MA @ The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
06/23 – Hammondsport, NY @ Point of the Bluff Concert Pavilion
06/25 – Kent, OH @ The Kent Stage
06/27 – Toledo, OH @ Peristyle Theater
06/28 – Petoskey, MI @ Bay View John M. Hall Auditorium
06/29 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Kalamazoo State Theatre
07/12 – South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Ballroom
07/13 – Plymouth, MA @ Plymouth Memorial Hall
07/14 – Westhampton Beach, Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center
07/16 – Nashville, IN @ Brown County Music Center
07/17 – Lexington, KY @ Lexington Opera House
07/18 – Knoxville, TN @ Tennessee Theatre
07/20 – Wilmington, NC @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
07/21 – Charlottesville, VA @ Ting Pavilion
07/30 – Boise, ID @ Morrison Center
07/31 – Layton, UT @ Edward. A Kenley Centennial Amphitheater
08/02 – Steamboat Springs, CO @ Strings Music Pavilion
08/05 – Boulder, CO @ Chautauqua Auditorium
08/06 – Beaver Creek, CO @ Vilar Performing Arts Center
08/07 – Pueblo, CO @ Pueblo Memorial Hall
08/08 – Amarillo, TX @ Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts
08/10 – Wichita, KS @ The Cotillion
08/11 – Des Moines, IA @ Hoyt Sherman Place
08/13 – Davenport, IA @ Capitol Theatre
08/15 – Bloomington, IL @ Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
08/17 – Springfield, MO @ Gillioz Theatre
08/18 – St. Louis, MO @ The Factory
09/10 – Idaho Falls, ID @ Colonial Theater
09/11 – Orem, UT @ Noorda Center for the Performing Arts
09/13 – Reno, NV @ Grand Theatre at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino
09/14 – Monterey, CA @ Golden State Theatre
09/15 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
09/17 – Tucson, AZ @ Fox Tucson Theatre
09/18 – Scottsdale, AZ @ Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
09/19 – San Diego, CA @ Epstein Family Amphitheater
09/24 – Salem, OR @ Elsinore Theatre
09/25 – Olympia, WA @ Washington Center for the Performing Arts
09/27 – Bremerton, WA @ Venue TBA
09/28 – Bellingham, WA @ Mount Baker Theatre
09/29 – Tacoma, WA @ Venue TBA
10/04 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Washington Pavilion
10/05 – Duluth, MN @ DECC Symphony Hall
10/06 – St. Paul, MN @ Ordway Music Theatre
10/08 – Wausau, WI @ Frand Theater
10/09 – Madison, WI @ Orpheum Theater
10/10 – Carmel, IN @ The Palladium – The Center for the Performing Arts
10/12 – Des Plaines, IL @ The Event Center at Rivers Casino
10/13 – Fort Wayne, IN @ The Clyde Theatre
10/15 – Midland, MI @ Midland Center for the Arts
10/17 – Johnson City, TN @ ETSU Martin Center for the Arts
11/07 – Buffalo, NY @ University at Buffalo Center for the Arts
11/12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount Theater
11/13 – Morristown, NJ @ Mayo Performing Arts Center
11/15 – York, PA @ Appell Center for the Performing Arts
11/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ Penn Live Arts/Anneberg Center for the Performing Arts
11/17 – Raleigh, NC @ Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts
11/19 – Winston-Salem, NC @ The Ramkat
11/22 – Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live
11/23 – Tampa, FL @ David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts – Ferguson Hall
11/24 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ The Parker
12/10 – Houston, TX @ Jones Hall
12/11 – Austin, TX @ ACL Live at the Moody Theater
12/12 – Dallas, TX @ Majestic Theatre
12/14 – Fayetteville, AR @ Walton Arts Center
12/15 – Shreveport, LA @ TBA
