[ATTENDED: September 18, 2016] Ben Folds and a Piano
Back in July, we saw Ben Folds play with yMusic at Steel Stacks in Bethlehem. We were about ten feet from the stage and it was terrific. Before the show or perhaps just after, he announced that he’d be doing a solo tour in the fall. And even though we were literally watching him, I decided to get us tickets for that show as well, because it was going to be just him and his piano. What could be better?
For this show, at the lovely MayoPAC (the sound was amazing), our seats were much further away. But unlike with yMusic, this time, he and his piano faced sideways. And our seats were dead center, so we could watch him bang the hell out of that piano. We could see every trill, every stomp and every riff. It was a perfect view.
Of course it being a dark theater, I was respectful of my neighbors and took only two pictures and only right after he sat down to start the second set. Not to mention, a venue like that gives you crap photos anyway…witness the one below.
He started out playing a few rockers (watching him pound the piano keys is so cool since even when he is pounding with his fist (or his arm!), he’s always right in tune somehow). He opened with “Annie Waits,” one of Sarah’s favorites by him, and one we’d never head before. It was pretty great and set the tone for a fantastic set.
He complemented our ability to get the “clap” in the song solidly on time. And because of that, he imagined we’d be up for a four-part harmony challenge. So when he played “Bastard” he had us do the challenge–four vocals parts for people with different ranges. It was really fun. One thing I’ve always admired about Ben is how he really encourages his audience to sing along. He seems to genuinely want people to sing (not just a cursory scream of the chorus), but like he’s trying to get people I who think the can’t sing to realize that maybe they can. (more…)
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This was supposed to be our last family theater even of the season (and probably our final Chinese Acrobat-type thing for quite some time, as we have seen a bunch lately). But then something came up and only Clark and I could attend. So it turned into a fun night for just the two of us to eat sushi at Inspiration Roll and witness the spectacle of many drums.
I Just Read About That... 