When Ben Folds, today's undisputed maestro of sensitive, '70s FM piano pop, swung through "Thursday In The Square" this summer, he was largely ignored by thousands of beer-swilling, Volvo-driving loudmouths. The folks who were paying attention learned that Folds was in the middle of recording a live record, one that would chronicle his recent solo piano outings. Unsurprisingly, the finished product doesn't feature any songs from the Buffalo performance. What it does possess is a look at the skeletons of some of the most valuable pop tunes of recent years. The stripped-down versions of tracks from Folds' so-so 2001 album Rockin' The Suburbs thrive in a live setting, bettering the somewhat stale studio cuts by a large margin. Most notable is the stunning ballad "Not The Same," which features some spine-tingling audience participation. Folds' clever use of the crowd is a large reason why Ben Folds Live is a true concert album. Folds feeds off of the effervescent presence of the audience, engaging in sincere banter with the crowd, even improvising a bit (see the lovably tongue-in-cheek "Rock This Bitch"). The song selection is great, spanning the length of Folds' career, even including a rousing rendition of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." It's an entertaining, first-rate mix of old and new, and a sign that life after Ben Folds Five will be simply grand.
Appeared in an October 2002 issue of Artvoice.