Ben Folds Five announces its first tour since 2013
Ben Folds, Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee are returning to the road together as Ben Folds Five. Their first announced schedule covers nine concerts across the US South and Texas in April 2027. The reunion follows a one-off memorial performance in 2023 and an expanded edition of the trio’s debut album containing previously unreleased early sessions.
Arts··Midday
The trio returns to a sustained touring schedule
Ben Folds Five has announced its first tour since 2013. Pianist Ben Folds, bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee are reuniting for a nine-concert opening schedule in the United States in April 2027.[1], [2]
The group’s previous tour ran in 2012–2013. Its members last performed together at a one-off concert in Carrboro, North Carolina, in 2023. That appearance honoured their longtime producer Caleb Southern, who had died earlier that year. The newly announced run takes the three musicians back on the road together.[1]
Knoxville opens a route through the South and Texas
The first show is at Knoxville’s Tennessee Theatre on 12 April, followed by Chattanooga’s Tivoli Theatre on 13 April. The schedule continues through Jacksonville, Pompano Beach and Clearwater in Florida before reaching Austin, Houston and Irving in Texas. Birmingham’s Avondale Brewing Company hosts the final concert in the initial announcement on 24 April. The band said further dates and festival appearances were planned.[1]
Abandoned debut sessions return from Folds’s archive
The tour announcement follows an expanded edition of the group’s 1995 self-titled debut. Capitol/UMe released it on 4 September for the album’s 30th anniversary. Alongside the remastered original, it contains Shelved First Attempt, an abandoned first recording that had remained unreleased. Folds rediscovered those sessions in his personal archive. Discussing the older material, he stressed the importance of music accurately reflecting who he is when he makes it.[1]
