Between all the ranting (Kanye) and raving (Sigur Rós) we didn't get a chance to talk about Ben Folds's set at Bonnaroo. He's still abusing his Baldwin (a string broke on "Landed") and putting the audience to work on vocal harmonies ("Not The Same"). These days Ben's set includes few songs from BF5 breakthrough LP Whatever And Ever Amen, but he's got a solid catalog of solo tunes to draw from. It's about to expand in September with the release of his third solo full-length. Ben's been playing a handful of the new tunes on tour for the past few months, but the quality of the YouTubes wasn't postworthy until now.
Among the new songs: "Free Coffee" (about getting gratis beverages when you're a rock star) and "Hiroshima" (about falling off the stage in Japan when you're a rock star). So really relatable stuff. He opened with "Errant Dog," which mines the familiar pounded piano/fuzzy guitar formula.
Below, all three new tunes he played. (He put a tin pan and an Altoids container in his piano before "Free Coffee," so that's why it sounds like there's an Altoids tin in there.) But first some sad news: Bonnaroo served as the official retirement home of Ben's cover of Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit." You can watch that here. (Above photo by Kerstenmarie.)
"Errant Dog"
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"Free Coffee"
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"Hiroshima"
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Here's the Bonnaroo setlist:
01 "Errant Dog"
02 "Gone"
03 Bonnaroo Jam
04 "You To Thank"
05 "Free Coffee"
06 "All U Can Eat"
07 "Hiroshima"
08 "Annie Waits"
09 "Landed"
10 "Bastard"
11 "Bitches Ain't Shit"
12 "Narcolepsy"
13 "Army"
14 "Rockin' The Suburbs"
15 "Kate"
16 "Not The Same"
17 "Zak And Sara"
18 "One Angry Dwarf And 200 Solemn Faces"
Tracks from the forthcoming album that weren't played: "Effington," "The Bitch Went Nuts," and "Kylie From Connecticut." Ever notice Ben sings about bitches a lot? Maybe you'll hear those on tour, Europe.
06/24 - Newcastle @ Academy
06/25 - London @ Shepherd's Bush Empire
06/27 - Glastonbury Festival
06/28 - Nijmegen @ Rockin Park
06/29 - Amsterdam @ Paradiso
06/30 - Hamburg @ Greunspan
07/02 - Bochum @ Zeche
07/03 - Manheim @ Alter Feuerwache
07/04 - Werchter @ Werchter Festival
07/05 - Bonn @ Rheinculture Festival
07/07 - Nottingham @ Rock City
07/08 - Sheffield @ Academy
07/09 - Liverpool @ Academy
07/11 - Dublin @ Oxegen Festival
07/12 - Kinross, Scotland @ T In the Park
07/13 - Bristol @ Academy
07/27 - Niigata, Tokyo @ Fuji Rocks
09/06 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania @ Mann Center
09/07 - Nashville, Tennessee @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center
10/03 - Ft. Wayne, Indiana @ Embassy Theatre
10/04 - Louisville, Kentucky @ Kentucky Center
11/30 - London @Shepherds Bush Empire
