Ben Folds picked to headline Fling

Singer-songwriter Ben Folds performs at the Cornell Slope Day concert last year. The musician will headline SPEC's Spring Fling concert on April 13.

Already known for "Rockin' the Suburbs," Ben Folds will be rockin' Penn's campus this April.

Folds will be this year's Spring Fling headline performer, Social Planning and Events Committee officials confirmed yesterday.

Folds, a singer-songwriter, announced on his Myspace.com Web site that he will be playing at Wynn Commons on April 13, the first day of Fling.

This announcement came prior to the planned official one from SPEC, which was scheduled for sometime after Spring Break.

Though Folds signed a contract to play during Fling in January, Wharton and Engineering senior Matt Mizrahi, co-chairman of the SPEC Concerts Committee, said that releasing the name of the performer closer to the date of the concert is optimal to "keep the hype alive so that people don't forget."

Mizrahi would not say how much it cost to get Folds to play at Spring Fling.

However, according to the Undergraduate Assembly budget, last year, SPEC Spring Fling requested $120,000 in funding for this year's concert and was ultimately allocated $93,500.

Folds was listed as one of the most-requested Fling performers in a SPEC-sponsored student survey that was done in October. Mizrahi said he could not name other popular candidates for the performance.

In anticipation of a turnout similar to that at last year's O.A.R. Spring Fling concert, SPEC looked to increase the capacity for this year's performance, said College senior and SPEC concerts co-chairwoman Kellyn Goler.

Although the capacity of this year's concert was raised from 2,500 to 3,000, Mizrahi said he still anticipates the concert to sell out again.

And student feedback, direct and indirect, confirms SPEC's expectations that students will be happy with this decision.

In addition to the survey, SPEC attempted to gauge student interest on Facebook by searching the name "Ben Folds" to see if students had him listed on their profiles as a musical interest. The name yielded over 700 students who did just that.

Folds's music also has a high number of downloads on Ruckus, the University's free music service, said Mizrahi, who added that "it is pretty clear that Ben Folds is a favorite on campus."

Engineering junior Marc Hassan likewise said that the choice of Folds is "definitely better" than past performers.

College freshman Rachel Squire said she is excited about the "energetic" Folds coming, adding that she is "obsessed with him."

Tickets for the concert will go on sale on March 26 on Locust Walk. The first 500 tickets will cost $20. After that, they will cost $25, and $30 on the day of the concert.

Eef Barzelay, the singer-songwriter for Clem Snide, an alt-country indie rock group, will open for Folds.

Folds, whose performances are known for his live cover of rapper Dr. Dre's song, "Bitches ain't Shit," will be playing piano, supported by a bassist and a drummer.

Folds headlined the Spring Fling concert in 2000 as frontman of the group Ben Folds Five, along with Philadelphia-based rap and R&B; group The Roots.

Representatives for Folds were unavailable for comment.

Comments (18)

Let me be first to say; this is a fantastic choice.

Holy crap, SPEC finally got it right! Last year wasn't bad, but this one's a home run.

when will SPEC learn that there are other genres out there besides alternative rock? sheesh.

When will "tired Penn student" realize that alternative rock is not the only genre out there, but is the most popular among Penn students? Besides, it's not like SPEC has never had non-rock concerts. In the past few years, Wyclef Jean performed for Fling, and the Roots for Gutmann's inauguration. In addition, SPEC-TRUM always has a concert right around Fling also, generally geared towards hip-hop or rap. So it's not fair to complain that there's never anything but rock.

When will tired Penn student" realize that alternative rock is not the only genre out there, but is the most popular among Penn students?" wow....way to make a generalization. what proof do you have to substantiate that claim?

There is a god and his name is Ben.

He didn't say rock - he said alternative rock. I, for one, would defintely appreciate some harder rock than Ben Folds.

[QUOTE id="66294313-1e31-4bcc-a67e-79bc41d93a94"]"When will "tired Penn student" realize that alternative rock is not the only genre out there, but is the most popular among Penn students?" wow....way to make a generalization. what proof do you have to substantiate that claim?[/QUOTE] Are you really asking this?

Great Choice, SPEC!!! I can't wait!

Another fruitcake in tightpants to lull me to sleep. When is SPEC going to understand that drunk students want to be pumped up by listening to upbeat music, like rap or pop? Why do you think that college bars don't play Ben Folds and OAR on Saturday nights? And also, how can this choice be met with a "positive response" if the campus community as a whole didn't find out about the choice until this article was published today?

I agree Ben Folds might be a little mellow for Spring Fling, but I have seen him in concert (I believe it was in '01) and he puts on a great show. The concert should be enjoyable if not upbeat. And I'm sure it will be much better than any of the lame Spring Fling concerts while I was at Penn.

Ben Folds is a fantastic choice. I've been to four BF concerts and every one left the crowd screaming. Penn will not be disappointed. And don't be fooled by the piano. He rocks.

and to top it off - he was here 5 years ago. what a joke.

While I understand the selection here, I am wondering how it will actually pan out. The concert in 2000 rocked because of the Roots. Ben Folds honestly got a little boring. This is fling where half or more of the people are completely toasted and people want to jump around and have a good time. Ben Folds (while an incredible musician and performer) doesn't really have that vibe of "crazy party" that I think better represents Fling. I'm sure the concert will be a success, but will it be fun?

I have a question for any of the people who posted about the choice of alternative rock or anybody else who can answer this? What exactly is alternative rock and what makes it "alternative" to regular rock? I've heard the term before, but don't really know what it means. Thanks.

Are tickets available to non Penn students -- say, a Bryn Mawr student who wanted to come to the concert?

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