Folds strikes chords, resonates at IU

Bloomington resident Jeremiah Hubbard has seen Ben Folds perform more than 20 times.

“I look forward to everything because he is so fun to watch,” Hubbard said.

He said he came with a group of about 12 friends, who all sat in the front three rows as groupies at a rock show.

Local Bloomington resident Grant Woodard, one of Hubbard’s friends, has seen Folds seven times and said he was anticipating the singer to “drip sweat on him.”

Before Folds hit the stage, Australian singer Kate Miller-Heidke wooed the audience as the opening act.

Sophomore Kimberly Redick, a voice major, said she appreciated the range of Miller-Heidke’s talents.

“She seemed to combine classical training with her own style,” she said.

Folds is known for being popular among college students, and Miller-Heidke played on this notion with a song about Facebook, which sent the crowd into a loud applause.

Miller-Heidke’s voice emulated that of a higher-pitched Regina Spektor as she played the keyboard alongside a guitarist with raspy vocals. 

Chris Mechell, a graduate student studying piano, said he has seen Folds twice before.

“I am not here because I am a pianist,” he said. “I am here because when he stands and bangs on the piano, he is awesome.”

From a pianist’s standpoint, Mechell said he is impressed by Folds’ piano strengths.

“They have to re-felt the hammers on the piano because he bangs the hell out of it because he’s a badass,” he said.

“He is the kind of person that pulls songs out of nowhere,” Louisville resident Lamar Cornett said.

Folds did exactly this when he surprised the audience with a song with lyrics about “living in Bloomington at the Motel 6 across from the Steak ‘n Shake (on College Avenue), walking to Denny’s and recording at the Echo Park Studio.”

Junior Sarah Robinson said she has been listening to Folds since she was 14.

“It is impressive how he can have high energy, yet be pensive with his piano playing,” she said.

In a different setting than usual, Folds sat at his piano without the other members of Ben Folds Five or even a house band backing him up. He sang hits such as “Annie Waits,” “Eddie Walker” and “Effington,” which featured the starting lyric, “If there’s a God, he is laughing at us and our football team.”