Folds rocks Avalon

Ben Folds has returned. After a short hiatus following the break-up of his band, Ben Folds Five, Folds has just released his first solo album, Rockin’ the Suburbs, and last Saturday night, he brought the house down at Avalon.

It’s easy to say how well Folds played that night — many people don’t own the new album but the crowd still responded enthusiastically to every new song. For those looking for many Ben Folds Five songs, the set might have been a disappointment, as Folds only played a few during the encore. But the fact is that his new album is terrific and the songs sound even better and more powerful in concert.

Folds came out wearing a hat with a hand giving the peace sign, and opened with “Not the Same.” He had the audience cheering the reference to former Ben Folds Five bassist Robert Sledge in the song. Folds then played a group of solid Suburbs tunes, including the catchy “Annie Waits,” the thumping “Zak and Sara” and the somber “Still Fighting It.” Each song gained force in concert, as Folds really pounded out the notes on his piano, while the band backed him up with just as much energy.

Folds admitted halfway into the show that he didn’t know what to call the group of guys he’s playing with right now but at the time, they were tossing around the possibility of “Big Ben and the Clocksuckers.” Not surprisingly, the audience approval rating for this name was very high.

Folds captivated the audience: When he played soft songs, they were totally quiet, but they also responded to his amusing antics and funny stories.

Towards the end of the set, Folds tossed in a new song that didn’t make it on the album, the hilarious “Make Me Mommy.” For this song, Folds strapped on a Devo-like keyboard and sang the part of Mommy, telling her kids to go to bed. Her kids, played by the bassist and the drummer, respond with “Make me Mommy!” It’s not a complex song, but it found a rightful place during this amusing and engaging evening.

Folds finished the regular set with his new single, “Rockin’ the Suburbs,” a song that most of the audience knew even though it is not played on Boston radio, as Folds noted. The song hit a high, especially with its Rage Against the Machine-like solo at the end.

For the encore, Folds came on by himself and broke into the Ben Folds Five segment of the show, much to the delight of the crowd. He had the crowd belting out the notes to “Best Imitation of Myself,” “Philosophy” and “One Angry Dwarf.” Some may have been disappointed with the lack of drums on these songs but it was interesting to hear them in this way.

Folds played one more new song by himself, the sweet “The Luckiest,” before bringing the rest of the band onstage for a tremendous version of “Song For the Dumped,” another Ben Folds Five song. Folds and the crowd sang with intensity, as he played a furious piano, and ended the song by tossing his seat onto the piano keys. It was a dramatic end to an enjoyable 80 minutes of solid new songs and a few classic Ben Folds Five songs.