XBOX 360!!!

I got an XBOX 360 and it is incredible. The wireless controllers can turn off the console... how sweet is that. I got Call of Duty 2. It's so good I found myself actually trying to dodge bullets on the couch while a wave of Natzi soldiers attacked. Awesome. I'll write more later.

Ben Folds - 02/10

Ben Folds Show a Powerful Performance

From sin.ou.edu:

Ben Folds carries the kind of integrity that keeps him intensely popular at the collegiate level. He has enough smarts to infuse real life into his virtuoso compositions and sky high ballads. His Ben Folds Live record might as well be passed out with condoms at all college orientations on the national level. He's an amalgam of all kinds of sensible piano players and song men. Equal parts Elton John, Billy Joel, Burt Bacharach and Dr. Dre rolled into his modestly short exterior, and he has never canceled a live show. So it came as a surprise when Ben Folds canceled his Oct. 1 engagement at OU, leaving fans from all over scratching their heads. Last night Ben Folds and company more than made up for the technical difficulties of concerts past as ticket holders traded their old tickets for admission, and new ones were sold. Folds played old gems, hinted at the new ones (Folds said he is very happy with his new record, "and I'm a guy who's never happy with my records") and conducted audience participation Thursday.

Folds played alongside a more agreeable/college kid line-up than was offered in October. Budding rock star Ben Kweller, also of the collaborative project The Bens (the two Bens did not play together on this night) and Norman's own Resident Funk took the place of Leon Russell and Greek Row's Broadway, respectively. .

Before the concert as Ben Folds was ambushed by a certain SIN Writer and his camera guy, Folds commented on the cancellation, and the show that beckoned him from twenty minutes away.

"I've played a thousand shows and never canceled," Folds said.

When Folds arrived Oct. 1 he found that his band had no monitors, and the power of his grand piano wasn't going to be facilitated by the equipment present at Lloyd Noble, even though the equipment was promised in the contract. Everything was done at the time to try to remedy the situation, but the best answer was to reschedule.

"We woke up at 4 o' clock" [to get there on time], Folds said. ""I had to make a quick and hard decision. They kept saying 'well...this band did it, and this band did it,' and I said 'I don't give a ****.'" Folds decided he didn't want his fans to hear a show of sub-par sound quality (Folds even re-enacted what the scene would have looked like for us, mimicking piano and microphone shorts in animated fashion). "I would've liked to give them their money back, and ask them to bring the tickets back [for this show]. But, you can't really hand back out twenty dollar bills."

"I was bummed. I was excited about coming back to Oklahoma, I loved playing in Stillwater. Maybe if I was just starting out I could have played and gave a shitty show," Folds said.

"I mean, I look almost as good as Britney [Spears]", he added.

Folds also expressed heartfelt apologies for those who had driven distances to see him. "I was hearing that there was people from Arkansas that came," Folds said.

Folds, never a musician who has settled into mega-pop star status, instead gave a charismatic stage show. Which brings us exactly to that, the show.

Ben Kweller flew in exclusively to walk onto the stage at the audience’s surprise. Beginning his set with spare lighting and no backing band, Kweller launched into his acoustic version of "Ice Ice Baby". Kweller gave attention to his baby grand with the ballad "In Other Words," brought some major acoustic riffage to the hit "Wasted and Ready," played cuts from "On My Way" and also easily bantered with the audience.

"If you like this music, I have some CDs upstairs. It's just they have that ****ing fee for extra baggage, so I need to get rid of this stuff."

A packed Lloyd Noble had already filed in to see Kweller give a rare solo acoustic performance for such a large venue. Kweller has played previous engagements with a backing band, but at Lloyd Noble, an arena setting, Kweller gave his most modest, finely tuned burst of acoustic exuberance I have seen him give. It was very nice, and a fine primer for the Folds show.

Ben Folds was introduced with a bit of classical music being featured on the sound system. He came onstage to an uproar of audience anticipation, and started with a near medley that started with The Cure's In Between Days and followed immediately by the saccharine doo-wop choruses of "Gone." Folds then apologized to the audience, said this time he and his backing band of drums and bass had even practiced so that they wouldn't sound like "ass on a stick."

Folds acknowledged a request and gave a solo rendition of his landmark "Brick," but most of the near two-hour show was performed with the band, the same band he cut his latest record with.

Folds worked the audience with kisses, a pitch-perfect vocal performance, and with requests for assistance. For "Not the Same" Folds climbed on top of his grand piano and conducted the audience to fill in some space, as they harmonized in unison. "Perfect" Folds said to his fans.

The show might be described as perfect by fans who heard songs that they may not have expected Folds to deliver. Older songs like "Army," 'Missing the War," and "Emaline" (a lovely piano lullaby to the girl with the same name as my street) were fan favorites that may have come unexpected, some penned when Folds led the Ben Folds Five.

The show was everything you would come to expect and more from a Ben Folds show. Folds didn't have a marching band like he did in Stillwater, but all he needed was his fingers and seamless falsettos. At the end of "Philosophy" Folds gleefully punched the melody to Dick Dale & His Del-Tones' “Misirlou” (the theme from Pulp Fiction) to a raucous crowd response. And Folds ended the show with the encore of "Missing the War" and "Rockin' the Suburbs." On "Suburbs" Folds snatched the bass, delivered the famous bass solo, and ended on that spectacle as the bassist screamed some lyrics, metal style.

Ben Folds can break your heart with his subtlety, but he lives for the college crowd, giving powerful, happy performances. Audience members not only sang every word to "Brick," they also accompanied Folds in his version of Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't ****," toying with dynamic a bit. Folds ran the gamut, knowing exactly how to please his audience, the mass that filled Lloyd Noble could be detected as Folds faithful from Norman, Stillwater, hell...maybe even Tulsa and Arkansas; and for this first timer, Folds brought to life everything he had remembered from those songs over these many years. The whole thing made me wish I didn't ask one last silly question backstage.

So, uh, Do you have anything you would like to say to Norman, the students?

Folds: "Tell them 'Hey!' Tell I'm sorry. I was here. I just went to Chili's, had a beer, bummed, and went back to the hotel." No apology like this was necessary, and neither was an impromptu alcohol session as Folds made the apology with his music, and supplied all of the bravado OU needed on a Thursday night.

new releases

The new Ani Difranco album, "Knuckle Down," is very good, just like most of her albums. However, it's really leaning toward the darker side of things. I'll elaborate further soon, but I wanted to get started. So, discuss..

mrbane.com

XBOX 360!!!

Ben Folds - 02/10

new releases