Ben Folds dropped the tour dates Wednesday for his “Paper Airplane Request Tour,” and a stop in Pittsburgh at the Three Rivers Arts Festival is among them.
Folds will play on June 9 during the fest.
The festival has not announced this show yet, so this is a little bit of a sneak peak.
The “Paper Airplane Request Tour” is a return to a format that Folds has done in the past where audience members make their song requests via paper airplanes that are sent down to the stage.
“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,” said Folds in a release. “It’s the purest, most low-tech form of engagement that creates a special bond with my audiences.”
Related:
• From 2019: Singer Ben Folds talks about his new book, playing in Pittsburgh
• Andy Falkous interview: Mclusky guitarist/singer on Pittsburgh, touring, reunion and new album
• JP Saxe interview: Singer/songwriter on internet conspiracy theories, new music and oversharing ahead of Pittsburgh show
Folds’ most recent album is “What Matters Most” and he is working on a holiday album targeted for later this year.
In a 2019 interview with TribLive, Folds said of Pittsburgh, “I’ve always thought Pittsburgh was a memorable, outstanding, soulful place.” In June 2022 he performed at Heinz Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. His most recent stop was at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg in June of last year.
Tickets are not yet available, but most festival events are free.
The Three Rivers Arts Festival website has some events listed on their website.
Frank Carnevale is the TribLive multimedia editor. He started at the Trib in 2016 and has been part of several news organizations, including the Providence Journal and Orlando Sentinel. He can be reached at fcarnevale@triblive.com.