The art of folding paper airplanes is a skill many learn as kids. 

However, very few can propel their airplane to great distances. Some innovators craft their own folds to guarantee they will win any contest. Others protect secret methods that have been passed down by generations of crafty family members. 

Concertgoers will have the opportunity to fly their creations to the stage when Ben Folds brings his Paper Airplane Request Tour to The Clyde Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 13, with Lindsey Kraft.

Low-tech concept

In a unique performative twist, this tour sees Folds taking concertgoers’ song requests via paper airplanes.

After attending a show on the tour, Jered Scott of Melodic Magazine described it as “an amazing mix of wonderful song after song, intermixed with fun stories, and Ben doing what Ben does best, entertain.”

Scott said after airplanes were launched on stage, Folds would select one, jam out to the request, and place it on his piano before picking up another paper airplane with an inscribed request. 

In a press release announcing the tour, Folds said the response to his 2017 paper airplane tour was tremendous.

“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,” Folds said. “It’s the purest, most low-tech form of engagement that creates a special bond with my audiences.”

Getting into holiday spirit

Just ahead of his Fort Wayne stop, Folds announced plans to release his first Christmas album, Sleigher, on Oct. 25.

In an interview with the The Daily Progress, he said: “Honestly, I’d never thought of doing a Christmas album, but I’m up for doing things I’ve never done before.” 

He went on to say embracing challenges offers “more license to be clear and free about what you do. It’s easy to get lost in your brand.”

Appeal to fans new and old

For those who think they may be hearing of Folds for the first time or are perhaps too young to have experienced this unconventional musician’s work, they may be surprised to hear he is responsible for the hit soundtracks of animated films Over the Hedge and Hoodwinked!.

Folds even achieved what many in the music industry consider one of the greatest honors, having been parodied by “Weird Al” Yankovic in the song “Why Does This Always Happen to Me?”.

Yankovic and Folds have collaborated numerous times, with the former directing the music video for Folds’ “Rockin’ the Suburbs,” the title track for his 2001 solo debut album. 

Regardless if concertgoers are longtime fans of Folds’ bold style or are new fans ushered in by the North Carolina Music Hall of Famer’s ubiquitous roles in popular media, there is a paper airplane with their name on it at The Clyde Theatre on Oct. 13.