Ben Folds Five reunite for first show in nearly a decade

North Carolina native Ben Folds has a huge surprise for fans in his home state: his defunct band, Ben Folds Five, will reunite for a one-time Sept. 18 show in Chapel Hill, N.C. and play the entire track list of the band's 1999 (and final) album, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner. Tickets go on sale Sept. 8 at Etix.com.

In case the 1990s remain a blur, or you haven't caught I Love the 90s lately, following Ben Folds Five's break up in 2000, Folds forged a solo career that has so far spanned two studio albums. His third solo record, Way to Normal, is due in stores Sept. 30. Check out Folds' lead single "You Don't Know Me" featuring perky songbird Regina Spektor here.

So why focus on the Reinhold Messner album for a "Front to Back" concert at the UNC Memorial Hall? "Of our three albums, this one brings back the most vivid memories," Folds told Billboard. "It was actually written to be one song of many movements, which is why there are motifs that appear throughout the album. That should make Reinhold a natural to be played front to back."

As of yet, Folds has no plans for another show with Ben Folds Five bandmates Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee. Fans in North Carolina can consider themselves "the luckiest" for now, at least until sometime in October when the show is broadcast on MySpace. Folds will also be traveling across the country solo, too. Dates below:

September
6 - Philadelphia, Penn. @ Mann Performing Arts Center
7 - Nashville, Tenn. @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center
24 - Washington D.C. @ Constitution Hall
26 - Boston, Mass. @ Orpheum Theater
27 - Storrs, Conn. @ University of Connecticut
30 - New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5

October
1 - New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5
3 - Fort Wayne, Ind. @ Embassy Theatre
4 - Louisville, Ky. @ Kentucky Center
8 - Athens, Ohio @ Ohio University
9 - Detroit, Mich. @ State Theatre
10 - Chicago, Ill. @ Congress Theater
11 - Green Bay, Wis. @ Resch Center
16 - St. Louis, Mo.. @ The Pageant
17 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ Myth
22 - Kansas City, Mo.  @ Uptown Theatre
23 - Dallas, Texas. @ Palladium Ballroom
24 - Houston, Texas @ Warehouse Live
25 - Austin, Texas @ Stubb's BBQ

November
13 - San Francisco, Calif. @ The Warfield Theatre
14 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ USA Wiltern Theatre 

Related links:
Cover Story: Ben Folds Outgrows the Industry of Cool
Ben Folds Front to Back concert on MySpace
YouTube: Ben Folds Five - "Army"

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