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REVIEW: Ben Folds Creates More Beautiful Moments with Tall Heights for Die-Hard Fans in Mesa (8-15-23)

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Mesa, AZ — In the moments before the start of Ben Folds’ performance at the Mesa Arts Center with support from Tall Heights, the line for the merch table stretched back through Ikeda Theatre’s lobby and out the door. As the audience poured in for the evening’s show, so many eras of Ben Folds’ career was present across t-shirts, some clearly dating back the 28 years of his career (one attendee was sporting an early Ben Folds Five t-shirt that was surely coveted by many of the long-time fans). Special shoutout to the Ben Folds glasses-cleaning set, the most audience-specific piece of merch sold, this side of Taylor Swift friendship bracelets and Cypress Hill rolling papers. Throughout the entryway, die-hard fans shared memories of their favorite Ben Folds show, detailing their favorite moments. 

Tall Heights

Tall Heights
Tall Heights with touring member Paul Dumas (Drummer)
Photography:
Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

Boston’s Tall Heights pulled double duty, serving as both the opener for Folds and also as a part of his backing band. The two-piece group, consisting of guitarist Tim Harrington and cellist Paul Wright, has been building a steady following since their 2009 debut album on the strength of their gorgeous melodies and the duo’s lush harmonies. They opened their set with “Back to Autumn” and “Murmuring State” before introducing themselves to the crowd and making note of the delicious empanadas they’d eaten that day – presumably at downtown Mesa’s gem Republica Empanada less than half a mile away from the venue. 

Paul Wright of Tall Heights
Paul Wright (Singer, Cellist), Tall Heights
| Photography:
Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

The duo covered Blink-182’s “Dammit” – a captivatingly ethereal rendition that surprised, amused, and delighted the audience. They released their reimagined version of this song in 2022. After playing “Only,” the duo talked about getting to tour with Folds and how they were recruited by him to play on his latest album, which in turn inspired them to get to work on their own new album.

Tim Harrington of Tall Heights
Tim Harrington (Singer, Guitarist), Tall Heights
| Photography:
Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

They then debuted a brand-new song “Still Feel the Same,” so new in fact that they had the lyrics printed and out on stage with them. When the crowd immediately embraced the song and gave it a long round of applause after, Harrington laughed and said “you are so sweet. I was shitting my pants the whole time, and it was not because of the empanadas!” 

Tall Heights
Tall Heights
| Photography:
Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

After a haunting rendition of their “Spirit Cold,” Harrington implored the crowd, since “Still Feel the Same” was so new, “If you took a video of the song, don’t post it on social media, and you already have… you know what? Fuck it. We’re not famous enough for anyone to care if something gets leaked early.” They closed their set with a completely unplugged, standing performance of “To Be Young.” 

Ben Folds

Ben Folds with touring band, including Tall Heights
Photography:
Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

For being such an incredibly dynamic performer, Folds is so humble and gracious in between. Even his arrival on stage came with a brief pause at the front of the stage for a quick smile and nod before he went to his piano, and opened his show with “Exhausting Lover,” “Winslow Gardens,” and “Clouds With Ellipses” from his new record What Matters Most (his set would feature eight of the album’s ten songs), all of which sounded great. The new album is a must for those who don’t already have it. 

Ben Folds
Ben Folds
| Photography:
Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

After “Losing Lisa” off of Rockin’ the Suburbs, Folds shared with the crowd that during the pandemic he had an online song-writing course he taught and that one assignment involved students in the class using headlines to inspire songs. He himself got two songs out of it: “Fragile” (inspired by a story of a would-be burglar who was caught by the family, started to cry, and then gave them $200 before quickly leaving their home) and “Kristine from the Seventh Grade” (drawn from an article by a woman explaining why she wouldn’t remove her shoes in homes that ask you to remove shoes). “This is funny,” he added before starting the song, “but I put it in a minor key.” Indeed, it was amusing, eliciting laughter throughout, as it told the tale of a former school friend. She had given herself over to online conspiracy theories and near-constant anger at the world.

Ben Folds
Ben Folds
| Photography:
Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

One of the reasons why Ben Folds’ fans are so loyal is in part because of his incredible song writing. While his songs can be many things: funny and sad, uplifting and sorrowful, heartwarming and heartbreaking, they are all deeply rooted in an unmistakable humanity. Though we may at times laugh at his protagonists, be they him, a surrogate, or a character he’s created, it is in response to something we can all connect to and understand.

Ben Folds
Ben Folds
| Photography:
Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

“Still Fighting It,” a song written about his son Louis, has been a live-show staple for years and always a highlight. I mean, who of any age can’t relate to the line: “Everybody knows it sucks to grow up”? “What Matters Most,” the title track from the new album, and “Landed” both deal with missing friends, whether from death or confusing estrangement. These songs were performed back-to-back, making for a poignant one-two punch.

Ben Folds with touring band, including Tall Heights
Photography:
Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

“If you know Regina’s parts, go ahead and sing along,” prompted Folds before playing “You Don’t Know Me,” his duet with Regina Spektor from Way To Normal. The audience took Folds’ cue and responded majestically. One of the hallmarks of any Ben Folds show is audience participation. For a time after the release of Rockin’ the Suburbs, his first album away from Ben Folds Five, he embarked on a solo tour that featured only him and a piano each night. He made the audience a part of the show, directing them to add harmonies or, in the case of “Army,” stand in for the trumpet and trombone parts.

Ben Folds
Ben Folds
| Photography:
Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

As Folds and the band arrived at the first instance of Spektor’s vocals, it clearly surprised and delighted Folds to hear her parts sung so loudly and enthusiastically from all corners of the Mesa Arts Center, even briefly stopping the song at one point to express how much it pleased him. “How cool is that?!” he marveled. Following a spirited run through of Way To Normal’s “Effington,” Folds ran the audience through a quick three-part harmony rehearsal to accompany the performance of “Not the Same” — Folds’ ballad of a high school friend who dropped acid at a party and climbed up into a tree where he stayed all night before climbing down the next morning and promptly becoming a born-again Christian. Throughout the song, Folds stood, playing many of the parts one-handed so he could keep his right hand free to direct the audience through the harmonies. For a song that is somewhat somber in tone, it managed to be one of the evening’s highlights, especially as a scan of the audience revealed universal expressions of glee. 

Ben Folds
Ben Folds
| Photography:
Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

As Folds began to set up “Moments,” the final track on the new album and what would be the pre-encore closer, an audience member called out “Rock This Bitch,” Folds’ long-running live show staple improvised song. Folds obliged the request, playing an Arizona-specific version of the song and once more assigning the audience vocal parts. Folds came back out and performed “Annie Waits” solo (eventually joined by Tall Heights, who added some of their incredible harmonies at the tailend of the song). They followed with full-band runs through “Still” and “Zak and Sara”. 

Ben Folds
Ben Folds
| Photography:
Katherine Amy Vega © All Rights Reserved

“Moments” was the evening’s pinnacle. It was, after all, a night about living in the moment, being present for life. As the lyrics go “We try to hold these moments as they glow/We’ll breathe them in and then we’ll let them go.”

Ultimately, it is these moments — shared moments with strangers — that are what matter most (yeah, that’s right, I worked in TWO references to Folds’ stellar new album in one sentence). There is something so real, so uplifting, and ultimately something so life affirming about a Ben Folds concert that it should never be missed. Despite arriving as strangers and departing as strangers, a Ben Folds audience in between is a community drawn into the experience, singing along to every word, providing harmonies, laughing, crying, and being present. We held in the moments like one of life’s most precious breaths before letting it go into the night, a community forever but strangers once more.

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Photographer: Katherine Amy Vega

View Separately: Ben Folds | Tall Heights

Ben Folds & Tall Heights – Mesa Arts Center 8-15-23

Photography © Katherine Amy Vega, Kataklizmic Design
All Rights Reserved.

REVIEW: Puddles Pity Party Treats the Crowd Like Royals in Mesa (12-7-18)

PHOENIX — Many of us have been invited to a pity party and more than likely, we have no desire to attend. When Puddles the sad clown hosts one, however, I recommend you RSVP and make it a priority on your calendar.

I was one such lucky attendee amidst several thousand others that packed the Ikeda Theater at Mesa Arts Center. Not knowing what to expect of the next 110 intermission-free minutes aside from a sweet serenade from the 6’8” baritone crooner in a clown costume, I kept my mind, ears, and eyes open.

Three minutes before the show was set to begin, the house lights were still up as people shuffled to their seats. There appeared to be commotion on the mezzanine level as several audience members looked up to see the unmistakable giant, cuddly clown making his way through the sea of people giving hugs, handshakes, and posing for photos. He effortlessly hurdled the chairs and made a concerted effort to greet as many of his party “guests” as he could, before making his way down to the ground level where he popped through the back doors and dashed to and fro, greeting attendees as he made his way up to the stage.

Puddles Pity Party - Photo Credit: Rodrigo Izquierdo
Puddles Pity Party
Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

Puddles Pity Party is anything but predictable, and after enthusiastically giving high fives to some of the folks in the front rows, he hoisted himself up onto the stage and awkwardly rolled to his feet despite the fact that there was an accessibility staircase not 10 feet to his left. It was at this moment I realized that things were going to be shaken up into a concoction of splendor and entertainment that would take all of us on a wild adventure of fellowship and laughter.

The festivities began with Puddles amusingly popping a whopping amount of gum into his mouth and loudly chewing as he read an AARP magazine featuring Kevin Costner.

Puddles Pity Party - Photo Credit: Rodrigo Izquierdo
Puddles Pity Party
Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

Much like other aspects of the show, these pieces may have seemed trivial at the time, but became integral parts of his act. Perpetually animated and childlike in his movement at times, Puddles — brought to life by Mike Geier — scoots about the stage on his stool and takes his sweet time getting to center stage to watch a montage of his trials and tribulations while appearing on America’s Got Talent. The sad clown with the golden voice sang his rendition of R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion”, only to be abruptly stopped by a loud buzzer and a giant red X like the one he received while performing for the show. Despite this, Puddles pressed on.

Puddles Pity Party - Photo Credit: Rodrigo Izquierdo
Puddles Pity Party
Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

The irony was not lost in respect to a silent comic entertainer who uses only his vocal ability to belt out emotional tunes; however, the heartfelt depth of his singing left the partygoers absolutely stunned. Puddles performed “The Sound of Silence” to a video of ASL translator, Zoey Stormes, signing a moving performance. Though he is a sad clown who expresses tremendous variety of emotion, from melancholy, to gratitude, to wonderment, it’s virtually impossible to be sad while in his presence. Laughter and words of encouragement from the crowd consistently permeated the silence.

Puddles Pity Party - Photo Credit: Rodrigo Izquierdo
Puddles Pity Party
Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

Puddles has several obsessions that attendees learn throughout their time with him, two of which are Kevin Costner and coffee. Never have I attended a party that entailed a coffee break, but there is a first time for everything. In fact, Puddles Pity Party contained many firsts, which takes the Vaudevillian style act from being a show to a full-fledged experience. I lost count of how many times Puddles left his wad of gum behind on his suitcase of goodies and plucked it back up to resume chewing. Additionally, I lost count of how many times he rolled himself off the stage to interact with the audience and bring a new friend up to be a part of the show. Attendees were swept away, transformed into an environment where excitement is found in the simple and absurd.

It was when I oddly caught “the feels” from hilarious snippets of robots falling over to the sound of Puddles’ emotional rendition of Coldplay’s “Fix You” that I realized the power and magnitude of this king-sized clown’s voice. No love song directed at a cup of coffee will ever feel so pure and heartfelt as it did in that theater.

Partygoers were just as much a part of the show, and were brought into Puddles’ world of make-believe. One woman transformed into a wolf that Puddles waltzed with. A gentleman enthusiastically sang the karaoke version of “All By Myself”. Another got to be a rocket scientist, and yet another got to stuff his face with cupcakes while being reminded that the word “stressed” spelled backwards is “desserts”. Puddles even had one of the party attendees summon Kevin Costner, albeit after a failed attempt that accidentally summoned Kevin Bacon.

Puddles Pity Party - Photo Credit: Rodrigo Izquierdo
Puddles Pity Party with concertgoer
Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

Other celebrities were attending in spirit, as it was impossible to miss the homages to Axl Rose, Freddie Mercury, and the King himself, Elvis Presley. Puddles’ prowess as an accomplished musician was made apparent through performing on his cardboard guitar that asserts “Do Good Work”, to his various beats on both real and video game drum sets, to his unique song mashups.

Geier, affectionately known as “Big Mike”, who has run a burlesque performance troupe out of Atlanta and also performs with the Kingsized Jazz Trio, has the performer gene coursing through his veins. Traveling with Puddles Pity Party, he has made audiences giggle and laugh warmly all over the world while wearing his endearing heart on his ruffled sleeve.

All you would have to do is go on YouTube and search “Puddles” to encounter countless videos of the sad clown with the golden voice. One of his most captivating being his rendition of Sia’s “Chandelier”, which partnered with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox and also performed on America’s Got Talent to agape jaws and an uproarious standing ovation.

The party on Friday was no exception and the crowd had their phones out to record video of his most notable serenade, as is encouraged. This did not stop Puddles from giving his adoring fans the up-close and personal show they were hoping for, as he grabbed one phone to sing to it and place it in the hand of another individual while picking up their phone and passing it on until there were multitudes of attendees who had incredible footage of Puddles and the cell phone of their fellow party-goer. The laughter that ensued afterward while people scrambled to find each rightful owner was memorable. If anyone can bring people closer together with their fellow man, it’s most definitely Puddles the sad clown.

Puddles Pity Party - Photo Credit: Rodrigo Izquierdo
Puddles Pity Party
Photography:
Rodrigo Izquierdo © All Rights Reserved

If you have the opportunity to attend a pity party put on by Puddles, I highly encourage it. How a sad clown can make everyone in a room light up with laughter is a special kind of magic that can only be felt and seen by experiencing it firsthand.

Photo Album

Photographer: Rodrigo Izquierdo

Puddles Pity Party – Mesa Arts Center 12-7-18

Photography © Reagle Photography
All Rights Reserved

Postmodern Jukebox – Mesa Arts Center (12-08-15)

Photos of Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox performing at Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona on December 8, 2015.

Photo Gallery

Photographer: Katherine Amy Vega

Postmodern Jukebox – Mesa Arts Center 12-08-15

Photography © Katherine Amy Vega, Kataklizmic Design
All Rights Reserved.