Ben Folds: Paper Airplane Request Tour

Ben Folds to Perform at the UB Center for the Arts on Nov. 7

Ben Folds sits at a piano.

By CAS Staff

Release Date: May 1, 2024

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“The last time I did this on tour the response was overwhelming, with literally hundreds of paper airplanes with song requests being launched on cue from fans at the start of the second half of each of my concerts. It’s the purest, most low-tech form of engagement that creates a special bond with my audiences.”
Ben Folds
Emmy-nominated, multi-platinum selling musician and composer

Emmy-nominated, multi-platinum selling musician and composer Ben Folds announced the return of his popular “Paper Airplane Request Tour”, performing solo shows across the U.S. including a stop this fall at The University at Buffalo Center for the Arts on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m.  

Tickets for this show go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 3 at ubcfa.org, Ticketmaster or in person at the Center for the Arts Ticket Office. Visit benfolds.com for more information.

What initially began years ago as a request for songs as encores will once again be a central element in Folds’ shows when he engages audiences to make their song requests via paper airplanes. “The last time I did this on tour the response was overwhelming, with literally hundreds of paper airplanes with song requests being launched on cue from fans at the start of the second half of each of my concerts,” says Folds. “It’s the purest, most low-tech form of engagement that creates a special bond with my audiences.”

Folds has been making wildly popular pop and contemporary music for the last three decades, performing all over the world with his band Ben Folds Five, as a solo performer and with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. among a multitude of other places and collaborations.

Folds, who released his most recent album “What Matters Most” to critical acclaim, has been in studio in recent months working on his first holiday album targeted for release later this year. He’ll also be featured in a special PBS broadcast this spring that spotlights his ongoing “Declassified: Ben Folds Presents” concert series he curates as Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center.

A longtime advocate for arts and music education funding, Folds launched a music education charitable initiative in his native state of North Carolina entitled "Keys For Kids," which provides funds and keyboards to existing nonprofits that provide free or affordable music lessons to interested school-age children. On the national level, he's active as a member of Americans For The Arts and the Arts Action Fund.

Tickets are $50, $60, $70 or $90. For more ticket information call 716-645-2787 or ubcfatickets@buffalo.edu. The ticket office will open at 10 a.m. this Friday and will resume normal hours Tuesday through Friday from 12–6 p.m.

For performance information contact Jamie Enser, Center for the Arts at 716-645-6254 or jenser@buffalo.edu.

For additional information on upcoming shows, to buy tickets, or view the full schedule of programs and activities in the UB Center for the Arts, visit the events and exhibitions web page.

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Media Contact Information

Gina Cali-Misterkiewicz
Assistant Dean for Marketing and Communications
College of Arts and Sciences
716-645-0755
ginacali@buffalo.edu