The University News

Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Patrick Binder Ben Folds has been making music for about 20 years.

Media Credit: Patrick Binder Ben Folds

Media Credit: Patrick Binder Jared Reynolds

Media Credit: Patrick Binder Black Violin's violinist Kev Marcus and violist Wil-B.

Ben Folds is a world-renowned singer, songwriter, pianist and rock star, but he seemed more like a friend giving a concert Saturday night - a very talented friend with a lot of money.

UMKC and Rockhurst University students who attended the Ben Folds concert April 5 at UMKC's Swinney Recreation Center experienced a diverse night of music.

The show started with Black Violin, a group comprised of a violinist, violist and DJ. They quickly got the crowd moving with their string arrangements of popular hip-hop songs and their own version of classical music.

"We take classical music and put some stank on it," they told the audience.

Violinist Kev Marcus and violist Wil-B were clearly well-trained on their instruments.

"We both have classical degrees," Marcus said after the performance. "I have a degree from Florida International University and Wil-B has a degree from Florida State University."

The two gave blazing solos over beats provided by DJ TK.

"Our solos are 100 percent original," Wil-B said. "We get licensing for the backing arrangements, but the solos are all us."

Next up was singer/guitarist Eef Barzelay, whose set felt like coming down from a sugar high. The energy built from the previous act was lost while Barzelay strummed repetitive chords and sang some mildly entertaining lyrics, including "That was my ass you saw bouncing next to Ludacris." Most of his lyrics were lost under the murmur of the crowd anticipating the night's headliner.

After a long intermission, Ben Folds walked on stage with drummer Sam Smith and bassist Jared Reynolds. They blasted through three up-tempo songs with Folds standing poised like an athlete at the piano, before he finally sat down for the slower tune "Landed." During the song, a tambourine player entered the stage for a novelty solo.

"There are a lot of ways to measure success," Folds told the audience. "For me it was when I could afford a tambourine player."

Folds reminisced about playing in the area, saying Lawrence was the first place he felt comfortable playing. This drew boos and cheers from the crowd, which prompted Folds to begin a seemingly improvised song.

"I suppose I just said the wrong fucking thing," he sang. "Some sort of sports issue."

Folds further displayed his creativity on the next song by placing a metal lid on his piano strings to create a distortion effect, which produced an interesting metallic sound.

The band continued to pound out the hit songs while the audience sang along. "Effington" showed off the backup vocal abilities of Smith and Reynolds in a three-part harmony intro and included another appearance by the tambourine player, this time with his instrument decked out with streamers in true Stevie Nicks fashion.

Folds prefaced his song "Hiroshima" with a story about falling off the stage at a show in Hiroshima, Japan. The way he told it, it felt like a friend telling a funny story.

That's how the whole night felt. The band members felt more like friends than rock stars.

Folds gave the band a break and played a few solo songs. Smith and Reynolds rejoined Folds for his version of Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit." The last few songs included audience favorites "Army," "Rockin' the Suburbs" and "Underground." After Folds and the band walked off the stage, the audience demanded one more song.

For an encore, all three returned and Folds said the band would play "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces." Folds then asked concert attendee Justin Parlette, who was seeing his 50th Ben Folds gig, for a tempo. Parlette counted it off and the band rambled through the last song, ending with the "longest rock last note ever played," according to Folds.

Parlette later said that ranked among the other 49 show he had seen, this show was "definitely number one."

Try as the Activities and Program Council (APC) might, the audience included many non-UMKC or Rockhurst affiliated people. Two women standing near me said they got tickets through other means. Parlette was also not a student.

Maybe it was the small venue, but what I found most surprising about the show was the level of closeness between the band and the audience. After the show, a small group of students waited near the band's bus and were able to meet and talk with Smith, Reynolds and Folds.

Smith revealed he had only been with the group for a year. This was a surprise to me, considering the amount of chemistry the band had. He also revealed that a lot of the show is done on the fly, according to what either Folds or the audience wants.

"We get a basic set list, but Ben calls a lot of songs on the spot," Smith said.

Folds signed autographs and took pictures with the small crowd.

"I dunno .… you just get it," Folds said of playing for college audiences. "It's not like I'm up there speaking Greek or anything. And I love a gymnasium!"

bcross@unews.com

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