Review: Ben Folds @ Stubbs BBQ

The other recommendation came to us by way of the proprietor of the kitschy Museum of Weird. As you probably know, Austin folks love to get their weird on, so much so that they allocate entire storefronts, social clubs, and wearable paraphernalia to keeping it weird. And of course, there is the whole bat fascination. Well, after strolling in looking for some weirdness ourselves, this nice Austinite suggested we take a trip to a really unique café called Spiderhouse. Spiderhouse is full of really cool furniture both inside and out, killer music selections, tasty coffee drinks, and plenty of good people watching – a great place to lounge around on a sunny Saturday before a show. I’d say they claimed a spot in my top five bars right up there with Denver’s Sancho’s Broken Arrow, Ann Arbor’s Ashley’s, Chicago’s A Live One, and New York’s Jimmy’s No. 43 (although I think Jimmy’s just got shut down for health code violations).

Stuffed on a belly full of barbeque and running on fumes from the prior night’s wedding festivities, we we’re struggling to drag ourselves out to Stubb’s, but the excitement of seeing the famous venue (and probably eating more) carried the team on through. Stubb’s was pleasantly packed, but not so much that catching a spacious side spot was a trouble at all. Having heard about Stubb’s for a million years, it really is a special venue with the almost carnival-like outdoor feel and convenient vending all around the back and sides. The place holds about a thousand people, standing room only, but it feels small and there are plenty of nooks and crannies to explore.

We missed the opening act, Missy Higgins, in favor of napping off the food coma, so Ben Folds came out almost instantly as we arrived. The show consisted of one long set filled with Folds’ trademark witty banter and sarcastic humor. It was obvious he was having a good night. Despite having a west coast run and a slew of European dates waiting in the wings starting November 11, Folds considered this date his tour closer as he felt relieved to have a two-week hiatus from the road.

Ben delivered a long festive set plus an encore with the main set comprised largely of new songs. Interestingly, not being a huge Ben Folds fan, it was news to me that Ben Folds actually recorded an entire fake set of songs for the new album, Way to Normal, with the same names as the real album tracks and leaked them on the internet in classic wise-ass Ben Folds fashion. While many find Folds’ snarky humor and perpetual airing-of-the grievances attitude somewhat jarring, I really enjoy his banter-filled performance generally find him pretty funny.

Folds boasted this sense of humor confidentially, as he sarcastically mocked himself about his approach of playing a set of new stuff and then coming back out to “surprise” the audience with the old stuff (i.e., the encore). The new songs – particularly the fake ones – ramped up a great energy out in the meat palace’s backyard. The single off the new album, Fake Coffee, drew the greatest reception. If you’ve caught Ben Folds on the talk show circuit surrounding the September 30 release of Way to Normal, you probably know this tune, but Ben described how he developed this ’80s electro-harpsichord-esque sound by tweaking his piano with a box of Altoids and a distortion pedal. The song has some pretty dumbass lyrics about how he receives free coffee because he is rich and famous or something stupid like that, but the Altoids box delivers a really nice tone for a higher pitched Baba O’Riley feeling.

Folds also got the crowd riled with a Longhorns taunt/pep rally, “If there’s a God, he’s laughing at us – and our football team” on the new tune Effington. Then, he followed on the energy by inviting Missy Higgins out to lend vocals to the segments handled on the album by Regina Spektor for You Don’t Know Me. Other musical highlights include the emotionally driven Cologne with its gentle trickling piano backdrop as well as the humorous romps Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head) and Bitch Went Nuts.

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My only complaint with the show was that Folds’ poppy piano playing ultimately blends itself together after a while and the songs begin to get a little boring, particularly on ballady duds like Kylie from Connecticut and overtly chipper bouncy tunes like Frown Song, although the giant yellow frowning masked keytar player onstage was a nice touch. I’ll admit I’ve never been one to listen to Ben Folds albums front to back in their entirety, preferring to pick and choose favorites. I like him better in small doses. While most of his songs can stand on their own just fine, the sum of the parts gets a bit watery by the end.

And I’d be lying if I didn’t confess that we caught the encore from upstairs over a bowl of mac and cheese, cornbread, and a chopped beef sloppy Joe, but hits like Rockin’ the Suburbs and Underground sound good whether you stand ten feet from the stage or upstairs staring down the last meal of a food-filled vacation. While the reviews of the new album might not be glowing thus far, the show was a blast, the songs work in the live setting, and Ben Folds provided a perfect close to a great weekend.

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