Ben Folds at Sandler Center for the Performing Arts

Ben Folds Five first united in 1994, drawing immediate notice for their sardonic smarts, high-energy harmonies and unstoppable melodies. Ben Folds Five amicably parted ways shortly after the 20th Century's end, eager to explore fresh terrain after seven years of intense concentration on the band. Folds, of course, embarked on a storied solo career, replete with countless veers and variations spanning smash albums, experimental collaborations, production, philanthropy, extensive work and performances with symphony orchestras around the world and even a role as judge on the NBC a cappella singing competition, The Sing Off.

Folds' lyrical acuity remains equally idiosyncratic, his trademark wise-crackery and wry character portrayals now edged with significantly more experience and insight. In the same spirit as the band's intimate instrumental interplay, audiences see Folds exploring myriad themes of letting go, and of shattering the boundaries between identity and environment.