Ben Folds
Dublin Vicar Street
21st July, 2007

Making his entrance to a full rendition of The Final Countdown, Ben Folds set the tone for this ironic, fun, entertaining evening. His humour and boundless energy made for a great show from an affable, thought-provoking singersongwriter. Through a relatively standard set, Folds interspersed surprise impromptu tit-bits like a piano rendition of Purple Haze. During his cover of Dr Dre’s Bitches Ain’t Shit, he was joined to rapturous applause by The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon, whose dry humour and powerful voice complemented and enhanced this melodic gem. Folds, Smith (on drums) and Jared Reynolds (on bass) didn’t play any of their slower songs, which was a shame, but we got such anthems as Rockin’ The Suburbs and Army, and it was a treat to hear Underground, a song Folds claims not to have played for seven years. As good as ever.