Ben Folds to play Capitol Theatre in August
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Ben Folds will bring his Paper Airplane Request Tour to the Capitol Theatre, 330 W. 3rd St., Davenport, on Aug. 13, 2024 at 7 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 5 at 10 a.m.
The multi-talented 57-year-old North Carolina native last played the Quad Cities as the headliner for the first Alternating Currents festival at the Adler Theatre in August 2017.
Back in 2017, Folds originally kicked off his first Paper Airplane Request Tour, during which he encouraged fans to send song requests to the stage via paper airplanes. The concept was loved by fans, so Folds is going to bring it back.
In a press release for the tour, Folds talked about how the concept for the Paper Airplanes Request Tour.
“The last time I did this on tour the response was overwhelming, with literally hundreds of paper airplanes with song requests being launched on cue from fans at the start of the second half of each of my concerts,” he said. “It’s the purest, most low-tech form of engagement that creates a special bond with my audiences.”
The Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter-composer has created an enormous body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, and numerous collaborative records.
His latest album What Matters Most was released last summer to rave reviews and sold-out performances.
“Ben Folds’ pop confections are sweet and tart, a recipe that makes him popular with both boomers and college students,” said an Associated Press review of the new disc. “He’s a master melodist and sly satirist, a sentimental cynic and piano pounder who loves a waltz.
“All those sides are evident on ‘What Matters Most,’ an engaging 10-song set and Folds’ first studio album since 2015.
“As usual, his musical approach varies widely, from ping-ponging synthesizer to lyrical piano, a string section, horns and handclaps, a 7/4 time signature and overdubbed vocals in inventive arrangements that evoke the Beach Boys, the Bee Gees and a barbershop quartet,” the review said. “Hummable hooks are plentiful as Folds sings about “life and doldrums and pain,” hilariously swears off motel flings, and makes surrendering to love sound triumphant.”
He currently tours as a pop artist, while also performing with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras, and serving as the first-ever artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
A New York Times best-selling author and podcast host, Folds is also working on new compositions for film, TV and theatre. He also frequently guest stars in films and TV.
In 2022, Folds launched a music education charitable initiative in his native state of North Carolina entitled “Keys For Keys,” which provides funds and keyboards to existing nonprofits that provide free or affordable music lessons to interested school-age children. And he continually advocates for improving public policies for the arts and arts education on the national level as a member of Americans For The Arts and the Arts Action Fund.
For more information, visit his website HERE.
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