9.04.2008

Don't Change Your Plans

Hurricane Gustav has officially arrived here. We’ve been getting pounded with rain all day. But I’ll take it … Not only is it therapeutic, we need it after the drought we had in August … It's also inspired me. I've been writing a lot and listening to my vinyls tonight ...

But that’s not the news of the day. Nor is it Sarah Palin’s speech at the Republican National Convention last night …

The news of the day: Ben Folds Five is reuniting, baby!

OK, so it’s only for one night … but still!

May you share the same joy I felt this morning when my eyes landed on this piece on Facebook:

MySpace, the world's premier social network, today announced the exciting launch of its newest music program, Front to Back, celebrating iconic albums that have helped shape the MySpace Generation. MySpace kicks off this program by reuniting beloved alt-pop band Ben Folds Five with an exclusive one-time live performance of their final studio album together, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, in its entirety. The concert will be the band's first performance together in nearly ten years and will take place in the band's former hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina on September 18, 2008 at the UNC Memorial Hall. The show will be rebroadcast on the Front to Back official MySpace profile in October http://myspace.com/fronttoback .

The moment I finished reading it, I grabbed for my calendar and marked the date. In pen.

I’ll admit Reinhold Messner isn’t my favorite Ben Folds album, if you’re comparing complete, good-sounding albums (Best Ben Folds album: “Songs for Silverman.” Best Ben Folds Five album: That's a toss-up between their debut and “Whatever and Ever Amen.”) But I will not deny it’s value on an artistic scale. “Don’t Change Your Plans” and “Mess” are some of my all-time favorite Ben Folds tunes and they’re arguably two of the best songs he’s done. Beyond that “Army” has become a classic in it’s own right, not to mention an awesome crowd sing-along and pleaser at his live shows. And “Lullabye” -- heck, it’s a foot-stomping good song and he worked James Earl Jones into the lyrics.

To see those three guys performing together again will be something special, to say the least …

In fact, it was the last time I saw them performing together -- although I didn’t know it at the time -- that ranks as my favorite Ben Folds concert. (For the record, it was Ben Folds concert No. 4 of 9 for me. That’s four shows with the “Five,” two solo shows and three with his new band). But enough with the numbers … )

The last time I saw the Five was October 1999 at Sokol Auditorium in Omaha, Neb. It was arguably one of the most fun concert experience I’ve had …

Fleming & John opened the night and a little known band called Train played second. Their song “Meet Virginia” had just hit the radio, and somewhere during the trip to Omaha they lost their instruments. They didn’t sweat it, though; They ended up playing an acoustic show, during which their drummer used a group of cardboard boxes as his drum set. I remember it being a-mazing

And then Ben Folds Five came on. My roommate Karl and I took up a couple spots at the bow of the horseshoe balcony with a perfect, wide view overlooking the stage … While I sang my heart out and bobbed my head with every word, one of my lasting images from that night is looking around the bend of the balcony and seeing other Ben Folds fans just as passionate as I rocking out to "Battle of Who Could Care Less" and having the time of their lives. I remember how amazing “Don’t Change Your Plans” sounded with John Painter playing the flugelhorn live. How the lights twinkled and circled over the stage for a chilling rendition of “Magic.” How Darren Jessee was so good on the drums, he looked like a wind-up toy. And how I swore Ben Folds had to be the best, most talented piano player there ever was.

And how after the show, my roommate Karl and I freaked out upon realizing his car had been towed from the McDonald’s (or was it a Burger King?) parking lot across the street from the theater. We banded together with a bunch of kids who were in the same boat and somehow located the pound where our cars had been taken. We pooled money for a taxi cab, and I ended up loaning Karl most of the $150 cash we needed to get his car back and make the two-hour drive back to our college campus …

Those were really good times then. More innocent times. Ben Folds Five was at their peak and Folds himself was still a relative unknown to the mainstream. Back then, we went to his shows to get enthralled in his music; there were no disrespectful college kids who were only interested in hearing him cover Dr. Dre.

Folds’ new album comes out later this month. I can hardly wait. The first single popped up on You Tube a couple weeks ago … I love that he paired up with Regina Spektor; the song's growing on me ...



... And while we’re talking about reunions, it’s worth noting The Who’s “Rock Honors” show that aired on VH1 earlier this summer. It took me a span of several days and several lunch breaks to watch it on our DVR, but every minute was worth it …

Though the highlight, by far, was Adam Sandler’s musical introduction to the tune of “Magic Bus” and then The Who leading off their set with “Baba O'Riley” and an amazing light show.

Both videos are here … (if you want to see more from the show, go here.)

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