Concert Review: Ben Folds and Missy Higgins
On Tour currently across the US, two piano (among other instruments) virtuosos stopped in NYC for a pair of shows last week. The first night was a crowded affair, and delivered some of the best live music I’ve ever witnessed.
Starting with the opening act, Missy Higgins, I heard it best at the show. “Her beauty in both looks and voice can’t possibly be contained on a recording.” I’ve been a fan of Missy for about a year now, having first heard her single “Where I Stood” at the end of an episode of Smallville. She played that song late in her set, which was a healthy mix of her current album “On a Clear Night” and her older EP. Whether standing with a guitar or sitting behind a piano, the unique and angelic voice filled the entire stage and the entire concert hall. This is a voice that can make problems disappear, and seemed to for everyone there. Songs that I’ve heard a thousand times sounded brand new in person, and her complete humility comes off as genuine and adorable. This alone would have been worth the cost of a ticket, and then Ben Folds took the stage.
Folds did two complete sets and an encore. That alone should give an idea of his reception by fans. He has a reputation for being a bit funny, a bit crazy, and loving audience participation, and that was evident here. Big fans know that two versions of his new album, “Way to Normal,” have been released. First, he “leaked” a fake version of the album onto the internet over the summer. This had a mix of actual songs from the album and “fake” songs bearing the same or similar names to the announced titles. These were conceived, written, recorded, and published in the space of 72 hours while on tour in Europe. They are also better than 95% of pop music out today. His immense talent shined as he and his band played a mix of “real” and “fake” new songs for the first set. Missy Higgins joined him on stage for “You Don’t Know Me,” as the recorded version includes vocals by Regina Spektor. The playful attitude between these new friends was an early highlight of a great show. After the first set, Ben and band came back on stage, and he told the audience that some fans seemed upset in early shows that he played all new songs. he then proceded to play virtually all his classics, from “Battle of Who Could Care Less” to “Army” and even reaching all the way back to “Philosophy.” Being a long time fan, it was thrilling to hear him play these songs live, and even hear some of the songs I heard the first time I saw him, nearly 12 years ago. There really wasn’t a down moment in the entire two sets.
Fans of music, fun, hapiness, and beautiful girls singing beautifully should get out to see this show as it comes to your nearest town. Feel free to sit, as this isn’t exactly rowdy dance music, but these two shouldn’t be missed. I imagine this will be Missy Higgins’ last “opening act” tour, as a talent like that is destineed to be headlining soon.
