Musical genius Ben Folds played a sold-out show at The Electric Factory in Philadelphia last night. Wasn’t able to get any pictures, though…since I realized earlier in the day that the display on the digital camera I bought less than two months ago cracked (GRRR!) and my cell phone camera just wasn’t cutting it.
I think I saw Ben play bass for the first time at the end of “Rockin’ the Suburbs” (have to check on that, though…I know I heard him play bass on a live version of “Rent a Cop” I downloaded). Also heard a new “Paul Simon” story that was nearly drowned out by the idiots screaming for “Rock This Bitch,” but it was a good story (especially since there was a Philly connection).
For my friend Katie out in the Ben Folds-free zone known as Seattle, here is the setlist from the show (courtesy of Chris at the Ben Folds Tribe…
1. In Between Days
2. Consider You Gone
3. There’s Always Someone Cooler Than You
4. Jesusland
5. Bastard
6. Still Fightin’ It
7. All U Can Eat
8. You to Thank
9. Landed
10. Bitches Ain’t Shit (Dr Dre cover)
11. Zak and Sara
12. Where’s Summer B.?
Band leaves-solo Ben
13. Lullabye
14. Alice Childress
15. Brick
16. Army
Band returns
17. Trusted
18. Carrying Cathy
19. Rockin’ the Suburbs
20. Philosophy
Encore
21. Late
22. Not the Same
2nd encore
23. One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces
Brian Kelley 
Hey Brian thanks for the link! Sounded like a good show. Ben is always great. I saw him at the Starland Ballroom in Saryville with Rufus Wainright and Guster. It was one of the best shows I’ve seen in quite a while. I’ll give you a ring this week. “Elvis Presely sound effects…effects…”
Hey Brian,Its Christians buddy Merk. He just sent me the link to your site. Cool stuff…I think the last time I saw you was about 6 years ago at a Trenton Thunder game (am I wrong?)In any case keep up the writing (words, music, blog and all.) Everything looks and sounds great!
Yeah, Merk…I remember seeing you at the Thunder game — you were in that massage chair (I think that’s what it was) they had (have?) on the concourse.The funny thing was that my friend — a huge Yankees fan — and I were in a line at a concession stand and he mentioned something about “the guy in the Red Sox jersey” in the massage chair. We got our stuff, started walking away and I realized it was you when you got up.How are things with you? Thanks for the comments…I’m just trying to get in touch with the creativity I buried long ago.Christian…I’m going to see Ben Folds with Ben Lee and Rufus Wainright at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park in August. My friend Katie, who is currently working in Seattle at UW, is taking a residence life job with New School in NYC…hence, we’re going to the Brooklyn show. Of course, that’s probably for the best since the alternative is the show at the Borgata…that place doesn’t really have a Ben vibe.“Don’t do drugs…smoking is wrong… everything you do is wrong…” (end of the live version of “Sick of You”)
Brian, you had everything right except for the fact that a friend of mine was actually wearing the Red Sox shirt. Otherwise your memory serves you well.Speaking of 80’s stuff (actually early 70’s), Christian and I got to see Kraftwerk (again) at the Hammerstein in New York on June 1st. It was cool