Ben Folds 'rumbles' a sold-out IU crowd

Accordion rock got the crowd on its feet, and Ben Folds kept them there Thursday night at the IU Auditorium. Folds' energetic two-hour show had the packed auditorium standing, singing and clapping along for the entire concert.\nFolds rocked the auditorium, playing a mix of new and old songs. \nFolds led sing-a-longs for fan favorites "Army" and "The Luckiest," while also getting his fans to dance to new songs. While known as a pianist, Folds took solos on the bass and drums, ran around the stage shaking maracas and constantly played with his new favorite toy -- a mini electronic keyboard.\nThe keyboard added a strong, well-received addition to Folds' typical piano performance, which was backed by a drummer and a bass guitarist. Folds used the instrument incessantly -- in the middle of traditional piano songs, as interludes, and as a way to rattle audience members' insides.\nFolds said he could get as low a frequency as 10 hertz, which he warned would cause the audience members to literally lose control of their bowels. At 13, it made audience members feel like their cell phones were ringing on vibrate. At 12, it rattled their hearts in their chests, and at 11, the vibrations unsettled stomachs. At 10, the band members left the stage covering their ears. \nSophomore Lauren Hall was a few rows from the stage and said when Folds played the super low notes, she could feel it throughout her body.\n"It rumbled my tummy," she said. "It really hits your core."\nWhile he complained of being sick and apologized for his voice, Folds managed to still sound as good as ever and put on a show that had the crowd singing along the whole time.\n"Something magical happens when people sing together," Folds said after leading the crowd to sing along with "Bitches Ain't Shit." \nA large yellow sign with the song title made its way from the middle of the crowd to Folds' hands on stage as he led them through the Dr. Dre cover. Folds traded off vocals with his British drummer and Hispanic bassist in an eclectic version that had the crowd rapping along.\nSenior Matt Lebon was smiling after the concert, saying he enjoyed the "high-intensity show." He has seen Folds three times before and was happy to hear "The Luckiest," which Folds dedicated to a couple in the crowd.\n"'The Luckiest' is one of the best love songs of all time," Lebon said. \nWhile Folds was clearly the main draw, Corn Mo gained a lot of fans as the warm-up act. As he took the stage, his shoulder-length brown hair led senior Lindsey Geller to say, "Look, it's Jesus." The love-child of piano-playing comedian Zak Galifianakis and pop star Meatloaf with an accordion might have been more accurate. \nAt first the crowd appeared baffled, mumbling, "Who is this guy?" But Corn Mo quickly earned applause and left the stage to a standing ovation. The crowd laughed at his whimsical song topics, which ranged from Yoo-hoo to his eighth-grade girlfriend.\nCorn Mo threw hecklers for a loop when he accepted the "Free Bird" challenge. When a handful of guys in the audience yelled for the classic Lynyrd Skynyrd song, Corn Mo mocked his challengers and rocked it on his accordion. \nAfterward, he played a self-described "rocking version" of bar mitzvah favorite "Hava Nagila" and Queen's "We Are the Champions." Between songs -- when not playing the accordion or piano -- Corn Mo played a cymbal with a drum stick strapped to his foot. The one-man show had the crowd in hysterics as he told fictional stories of Ben Franklin getting laid while wearing nothing but a coonskin cap. \n"He's cool as hell," Bloomington resident Todd Elliott said. "He's really original and he does his own thing."\nFolds incorporated the same sort of playfulness as his opening act during his own performance, making up a song about haircuts on the spot that had audience members begging for more. After a brief encore, fans applauded wildly for several minutes, pleading for one more song before the house lights came up to signal the end of the show.