James Madison University - Bluestone Schoolmaam Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

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Ben Folds shared his distinct sound. r usician Ben Folds rocked the ' burg April 10 at the 2007 spring Convocation Center concert, entertaining over 1,500 spectators. Out of all the bands that have come to IMU since my freshman year, I was most excited for Ben Folds, said senior Emma Dozier. His music is so unique. Folds came on just after 9 p.m., direcdy following an opening perfor- mance by guitarist Eef Barzelay. It ' s damn good to be here, Folds said, greeting the packed audience. Folds, who split from his band Ben Folds Five in 2000, was known for his piano skills and original music and lyrics, inspired by artists such as Elton John and Billy Joel. He was happy to take the stage when he saw he was provided with a Steinway piano. Finally, a piano with a low end, Folds said. With help from drummer Sam Smith and bass pla)er Jared Re Tiolds, Folds entertained the crowd with his older rock songs such as Army, from his album, The Unauthorized Diary of Reinhold Messner, as well as newer, mellow songs, titled Landed, and You To Thank, both from his most recent album Songs For Silverman. His lyrics are funny and quirky, but then he also does those sappy love songs that everyone knows, said Dozier. Among Folds ' quirk) ' lyrics were Now I ' m big and important, one angry dwarf, from the song One Angry Dwarf and his many refer- ences to God-like ideas in his song Jesusland. In addition to the Steinway, Folds used a s Tithesiz- er to make sound wave ibrations throughout the show. He said in pre ' ious shows he had claimed that raising the frequency high enough would result in a brown note, causing the audience to defecate. He revealed to the audience, however, that there was no such thing as a brown note during the concert. It was shocking kind of, but I still thought it was freaking great, said sophomore Katie Soulen. He ' s really funny and has a good stage presence. Because of his popularity among college-aged smdents, the Universit) ' Program Board (UPB) had been trying to bring Folds to the university ' for quite some time, according to graduate Amie Kesler, public relations coordinator of UPB. We were very excited and fortunate to have Ben this year, he is such a legend, said Kesler. For each concert we plan, you must ' bid ' on an artist in order to try to get them to come to our venue and this vear we were very luck) ' to be able have him perform. Concert tickets went on sale March 19. Although sales did not start until 8 a.m., students started camping out at Warren Hall hours ahead of time. The cJt wad awedome — loen tJ oldd wad totallt} worth it. senior Rynn Hickman 13en (J-oUd Concert 29

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Takin g j O) Joanna brennei Happy to be provided with d Steinway piano. Folds finishes up a song in the middle of his set. Later in the show, his band left the stage and Folds played alone with his synthesizer and Steinway onlv. Photo by Revee TenHuisen Smiling as he plays, Ben Folds sings to excited fans at the Convocation Center. Folds played a two-hour set along with his drummer. Sam Smith, and his bassist, lared Re nolds. Photo by Revee TenHuisen C eatured

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1 mm I ' iihilllii ' UHI first person in line for tickets arrived outside Warren Hall at 1 1 p.m. the previous night. Doors were opened at 4 a.m., when members of UPB had a breakfast of muffins, bagels, orange juice and coffee prepared for anxious Folds fans. They played a DVD of Ben Folds in concert for us and we just hung out and talked to people, said senior Rynn Hickman. It was awesome — Ben Folds was totally worth it. Folds got his start in 1988, playing as a bassist in a band called Ma- josha. Then in 1990, Majosha broke up and Folds formed a band called Pots and Pans, which only stayed together for about a month. It wasn ' t until 1994 that Folds, along with bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Dar- ren )esse formed Ben Folds Five, spawning many hit songs. Folds went solo in 2000 with the release of his album Rockin ' the Suburbs. I think bands named after a leader are doomed from the beginning, said Dozier. You know they ' re eventually going to break off and go solo. Most of the songs 1 listen to are from Ben Folds Fi e, but when he performs them solo, they sound just as good. When Folds made his exit after playing his last song, the audience begged for more. After what seemed to be ages of anticipation. Folds encored with a song from his days as the lead singer of Ben Folds Five. J (J (featured