Brian Dear
Staff Writer
Review
Rolling Stones - better book some rooms at the Golden Years Home, because the jazzy Billy Joel stylings of the Ben Folds Five are sending a strong message to the aging (decaying?) rockers: The formulaic, "I-can't-get-no-satisfaction-start-me-up" rock song is more dead than Keith Richards's looks.
Compaq Center was not the only sold-out venue on Feb. 12. Numbers was packed to the rafters with funsters searching for something new, and Ben Folds Five was it.
The women swooned, and the men cheered for the North Carolina-based trio as they took their marks and began a lively, refreshing set.
Ben Folds Five paid homage to everyone from Billy Joel to Led Zeppelin, from Prodigy to vintage New York jazzers like John Coltrane - via piano, bass and percussion.
Guitar-free for the majority of the show, Ben Folds Five treated the audience to inspired blends of energetic, three-part vocal harmony, "Piano Man" sensuality and infectious lyrics.
A 15-minute version of "Song for the Dumped" was the highlight of the evening. Lead-man Ben Folds opened the lid of his baby grand piano and plucked the strings by hand, while raking a microphone over other strings, creating an acoustic techno effect.
Bassist Robert Sledge hammered out riffs from the Chemical Brothers' aggressive electronica riff, "Block Rockin' Beats," as drummer Darren Jessee added his version of vintage Max Roach and modern breakbeat.
The interlude startled many in the audience, but it ultimately showcased Ben Folds Five's diverse musical palette.
"Brick," the latest single from Whatever and Ever Amen featured Sledge playing an old upright bass.
Folds added, "This was the original format of the band, three guys in a small room with an out of tune upright piano, some drums and this bass."
"Steven's Last Night in Town" featured an impressive orchestration of twenties swing beats and Broadway-styled, upbeat lyrics. The toe-tapping ambiance of the song had the crowd all but doing the Charleston.
Ben Folds Five scored in a musical genre where few are distinguished as originals. Their performance reiterated the band's amazing songwriting capabilities and vivacious personality. Ben Folds Five successfully negotiated the alterna-rock maze of generica and emerged intact.
Their sold-out show excited fans, created new ones and left the Stones rotting in the Compaq Crypt.