Filled with audience participation, orchestral improvisation, and swearing...for regular patrons of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra or DSO, to say this night was a departure from their standard performances is likely an understatement.

The DSO was at the top of their game on October 16 when they performed with Ben Folds at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in downtown Detroit. Folds is currently touring a concert series billed as “The Ben Folds Orchestra Experience” and Orchestra Hall was his first Midwestern stop on the tour.

The evening was a wonderful mix of songs from Folds’ catalog, artfully arranged for a symphony, and accompanied by his often cheeky lyrics and rock and roll spirit. He opened with his song “Effington”, which muses on the town Effington and the activities of its residents. His lyrics playfully hinted at the swear word that one might associate with the town’s name, while the orchestra swelled and Folds’ hands flew over the keys of the piano.

Folds’ music, for the uninitiated, is a wonderful blend of rock music, and lyrics that speak to true experiences and stories of interesting people. Many of his songs naturally lend themselves to orchestration. The evening sampled songs written in the 90s with his group Ben Folds Five, and songs written during his solo career.

He also shared a preview of his concerto for piano and orchestra, playing the third movement from the highly anticipated piece. While Folds’ typical songs weave a tale with words, the movement accomplished this without them; evoking memories of George Gershwin’s classic composition, “Rhapsody in Blue.” It was the first time it had been performed in the Midwest.

Toward the end of the evening, Folds stood up and moved his microphone stand, about to speak. Patrons started shouting requests. One patron in front of me shouted, “Rock This Bitch!” Folds laughed and proceeded to explain to the orchestra that the request of “Rock This Bitch” was something that happens at his concerts. Once shouted, he would improvise a song containing those lyrics. Such is typical for Folds, but not so typical for the DSO. Nonetheless, he assigned parts to the choir and the different sections of the symphony and ten minutes later they performed an entirely brand new song, invented right there on the spot.

The evening concluded with some of his fan’s favorites, including the song “Not the Same,” which involved Folds teaching the audience the harmony in the middle so they can sing along with him and the orchestra. The hall was warmed by the voices of hundreds singing along.

I’ve been fortunate to have Folds music as a soundtrack to my adult life. I connected with his songs and I’ve sung with him before at concerts as an audience member. This evening with the DSO could have rendered my favorite songs as unapproachable; too grand, as it was accompanied by the impeccable quality of the city’s fine orchestra. But the concert only made the songs more magical than before. The standing ovation at the end of the concert went on for nearly ten minutes as the DSO cleared the stage. When it was clear the audience wasn’t leaving, Folds ran back to play two songs solo on his piano, “Annie Waits” and “Army”. The audience of fans sang every word as he played and gave us all a truly fantastic finish to a very memorable evening.