Ben Folds ‘Night at the Barracks’ @ Manly Barracks, Sydney – 26/09/2026

“Just know that if it’s offensive to you, it’s offensive to me too.”

Tonight is all about finding out all the glorious ways a man can play with and bang/thrash around his big, hard, rather impressive P word. You read that right, folks, but I must clarify, the P word is Piano.

From starting his musical journey in high school to his first band, Majosha, winning a Battle of the Bands in 1988, then going on to form Ben Folds Five in ’93, leaving fans forever searching for the final two band members behind the stage curtains until the band disbanded in 2000 and briefly reformed in 2012, and I apologise for the incredibly long sentence, but this guy's accolades are many. Ben has also gone on to release eight studio albums.

I’m going to keep this review short and sweet… well, actually, no, that’s not entirely accurate. I’m 173 cm, not that short.

I’ve seen Ben Folds live twice previously, b-… there I go, lying again. Let me amend that lie… I’ve seen glimpses of changing lights and the occasional vague movement as Ben Folds has performed live on two separate occasions… being completely honest can be exhausting.

Both times were at the Sydney Opera House, once with the incredible Sydney Symphony Orchestra in November 2014, and the other with Paper Plane in August 2016, but tonight is on a whole new level.

After a sweltering 35° day, the Manly sea breeze has not only brought forth a cool change of 15–20°, but has also brought gale-force winds that threaten to blow over the stage set-up like the Big Bad Wolf.

If my genetics hadn’t already said, “Righto mate, you're in your 30s now, time for those luscious curls to nick off,” I reckon my hair would resemble one very angry mama bird's nest after finding out its eggs were stolen.

So, a perfect night for Ben to dazzle the panties off us with incredible piano playing!

One thing that is made abundantly clear as the show goes on is that when I saw, GRRR! When I… you get it, Ben at the Opera House those other two times, you could tell he’s amazing on the piano and has a good sense of humour, sure, but tonight, it’s just him and his P word up there, and wow!

Half the show is a musical comedy act, and the other half is a well-rehearsed, exquisite performance filled with songs we all know and love.

The humour comes out in stories he shares with us between songs.

“Have you noticed how songs about stories aren’t cool anymore? I know they’re not cool because I like them.”

“In about 2010, I had written the first two verses and choruses of a song, and then nothing, blank.”

“Then a few years ago, I was in a cab with a guy and we were talking, and he's like, ‘Remember the days when we had to drink out of garden hoses? Kids these days with their bottled water.’”

“Yeah, like I remember being in my dad's Jeep without seatbelts. Kids these days with their seatbelts.”

“Then he says, ‘Remember when you’d really make your mom mad when you were a kid, and you just knew it was time to strip off all your clothes, get in the bathtub, and get ready for her to belt your ass with a Hot Wheels track?’”

“…No… no, I don’t know that one.”

So hence the rest of the song.

Other humorous moments include making up a song on the spot about performing in Manly in the intense wind and hoping it doesn’t blow everything away, or later saying, “You know how I was telling you about my issues with my migraines? Don’t worry, I’m not going to die up here from a brain hemorrhoid or anything.”

Although I’m pretty sure that was a wordplay joke, I have met people whose brains must be located up their rear ends.

All of this knee-slapping hilarity is happening while Ben plays the piano like it had done something to offend him, or like it’s the love of his life in a romantic sense.

In all seriousness, though, his incredible piano playing is like none other, except maybe Matt Bellamy from Muse, and is a reminder of why Ben Folds was a key inspiration for me learning and playing the piano!

It’s dynamic and powerful at times, gentle and sensual at others, and exciting and uplifting at still others! All while his signature nostalgic, cosy, inviting vocals fly atop his stunning piano playing.

We’re treated to classics like Still Fighting It, where the sound of the audience singing along, but not too loudly, fills the open night sky beautifully.

We also get You Don’t Know Me, which Ben gets the audience to sing back to him in a beautiful call-and-response, and finally, a one-song encore of The Luckiest, which goes down a treat with the audience, me included.

I am quite surprised Ben didn’t play his biggest hit with Ben Folds Five, Brick, though, but it would’ve just been a bonus if he had; not crucial.

And finally, the sound mix.

I’m pleasantly surprised, in a way, as I can imagine for a sound engineer used to mixing concerts within venues, an open-air performance like this one would be a genuine challenge. There’s nothing for quite a distance to absorb and reflect sound, and the intense winds would be carrying it in ways the sound engineer probably wouldn’t have anticipated.

Still, even when Ben absolutely thrashes the piano with the sustain pedal held down and all, it’s perfectly balanced, doesn’t distort, and never rises above or dominates Ben's vocals.

It’s really quite delightful!

My friend who came with me tonight didn’t know any of Ben's music before tonight, but it didn’t matter to her. She still thoroughly enjoyed both the music and his humour!

So regardless of whether you know the songs or not, if you love beautiful acoustic piano music and intense laughter all served up in a picturesque setting, Ben Folds is for you!

To Ben, thanks so much, and I’ll see you next time!

ARGH! I can’t bloody stop lying!

Until next time, keep a Keen Eye 4 Concerts…