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Ben Folds is celebrating Independence Day with the surprise release of a new album, Ben Folds Live with the National Symphony Orchestra. Stream it below.
The release was officially announced this morning (July 4th) with a special in-store launch event and livestreamed Q&A session at Washington, DC’s Byrdland Records.
Ben Folds Live with the National Symphony Orchestra features the artist performing fan favorites and new music, joined by the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Principal Pops Conductor of the NSO, Steven Reineke. Special guest artists on the album include Regina Spektor and Tall Heights.
“This album suddenly now feels much bigger,” Folds explained in a press statement. “I knew we were making something special with the NSO. I didn’t know it’d be a time capsule of the last moment before it all got torn down… I still believe there’s more good than not. But you must work for it. You have to say something. Especially now.”
Folds recorded the album at the sold-out Concert Hall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on October 25th and 26th, 2024. These shows happened just months before he resigned from his position as the first-ever Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), in response to President Trump taking control of the Kennedy Center. Folds officially put in his resignation at 1:59 pm ET on February 12th, 2025 — exactly one minute before President Trump’s administrative regime change of the Kennedy Center officially took hold.
“I had my statement up by 2:01,” Folds said in an exclusive interview with our own Kyle Meredith. “The takeover was at 2:00. I wanted no part of what was coming.”
Folds is set to support the new album with an extensive US tour that will find him performing solo shows as well as symphony concerts with some of the top orchestras in the country. See the full itinerary below, and get tickets here.
Ben Folds Live with the National Symphony Orchestra Artwork:
Ben Folds Live with the National Symphony Orchestra Tracklist:
01. But Wait, There’s More
02. Fragile
03. Kristine from the 7th Grade
04. Effington
05. The Luckiest
06. Capable of Anything
07. Still Fighting It
08. You Don’t Know Me (feat. Regina Spektor)
09. Landed
Bonus Tracks
10. Still
11. Cologne *
12. Moments (feat. Tall Heights) *
13. Gracie *
14. Not the Same *
* = Digital edition bonus tracks
Ben Folds 2025 Tour Dates:
07/22 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre *
07/23 – Rockport, MA @ Shalin Liu Performing Arts Center *
07/25 – Simsbury, CT @ Simsbury Performing Arts Center (w/ the Hartford Symphony)
07/26 – Groton, MA @ Groton Hill Music Center *
07/27 – Cranston, RI @ Park Theatre and Event Center *
08/07 – Menlo Park, CA @ The Guild Theatre *
08/08 – Folsom, CA @ Harris Center *
08/09 – Las Vegas, NV @ Wynn – Encore Theater *
08/11 – Grand Junction, CO @ Asteria Theatre *
08/13 – Big Sky, MT @ Warren Miller Performing Arts Center *
08/14 – Jackson, WY @ Jackson Hole Center for the Arts – Center Theater *
08/16 – South Jordan, UT @ Rio Tinto Kennecott Stage at America First Square *
09/05 – Louisville, KY @ Whitney Hall (w/ the Louisville Orchestra)
09/06 – Terre Haute, IN @ Hatfield Hall *
09/08 – Iowa City, IA @ Hancher Auditorium *
09/09 – Manhattan, KS @ TBA *
09/10 – Sioux City, IA @ Orpheum Theatre (w/ the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra)
09/12 – Denver, CO @ Boettcher Concert Hall (w/ the Colorado Symphony)
09/13 – Denver, CO @ Boettcher Concert Hall (w/ the Colorado Symphony)
09/16 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Tower Theatre *
09/17 – Little Rock, AR @ The Hall *
09/19 – Abilene, TX @ The Paramount Theatre *
09/20 – New Braunfels, TX @ Brauntex Theatre *
09/21 – Fort Worth, TX @ Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall *
09/24 – Lafayette, LA @ Heymann Performing Arts Center *
09/26 – Atlanta, GA @ Atlanta Symphony Hall (w/ the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)
09/27 – Atlanta, GA @ Atlanta Symphony Hall (w/ the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)
10/04 – Grand Rapids, MI @ DeVos Performance Hall (w/ the Grand Rapids Symphony)
10/05 – Dayton, OH @ Schuster Center *
10/07 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts (w/ the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)
10/10 – Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolfe Auditorium (w/ the Asheville Symphony)
10/11 – Winston–Salem, NC @ RJ Reynolds Auditorium (w/ the Winston–Salem Symphony)
10/15 – North Bethesda, MD @ Music Center at Strathmore *
10/16 – Wilkes-Barre, PA @ F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts *
10/18 – Erie, PA @ Warner Theatre *
10/19 – Rochester, NY @ Beston Hall *
10/21 – Norwalk, CT @ District Music Hall *
10/23 – Brookville, NY @ Tilles Center for the Performing Arts *
11/06 – Rockford, IL @ Coronado Theatre *
11/08 – Waukegan, IL @ Genesee Theatre *
11/10 – Champaign, IL @ Virginia Theatre *
11/11 – Marion, IL @ Marion Cultural and Civic Center *
11/14 – Flint, MI @ FIM Capitol Theatre
11/15 – Shipshewana, IN @ Blue Gate Performing Arts Center
11/16 – Newark, OH @ Midland Theatre
11/18 – Charleston, SC @ Charleston Gaillard Center
11/20 – Fort Myers, FL @ Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
11/21 – Coral Springs, FL @ The Center – Coral Springs Center for the Arts
11/22 – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL @ Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
12/02 – Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (w/ the Oregon Symphony)
12/04 – Seattle, WA @ Benaroya Hall (w/ the Seattle Symphony)
12/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Blue Note Los Angeles *
* = Solo show
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