Ben Folds Five Detail First Tour Since 2013

Editor

Oct 21, 2026 - 20:46

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As expected, Ben Folds Five is getting the band back together. The influential piano/bass/drums trio will return to the road in 2027 for its first tour since 2012-13, with an initial slate of U.S. dates kicking off April 12 at Knoxville, Tn.’s Tennessee Theatre.

Folds, bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee have not been onstage together since a 2023 one-off in Carrboro, N.C., in memory of longtime Ben Folds Five producer Caleb Southern, who died earlier that year. The newly announced shows will encompass only the South and Texas, but the band is promising additional dates plus as-yet-unnamed “top-billed festival appearances.”

More from Spin:

The reunion follows a 30th anniversary celebration of Ben Folds Five’ self-titled 1995 debut, which arrived Sept. 4 in an expanded edition via Capitol/UMe. Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) pairs a newly remastered version of the original album with Shelved First Attempt, a previously unreleased recording of the band’s abandoned first version of the LP, rediscovered by Folds in his personal archives.

“When I’m making music now, I don’t feel like particularly a different person than I was with the first record, but you can’t unknow things,” Folds recently told NPR about digging back into the band’s history. “And the thing that I still carry with me that I did from then, which is, if I made a record, and it didn’t seem like who I was then, I would shelve it now, even if it had a $300,000 price tag attached to it, because I think that the worst thing you could do is to misrepresent yourself. Everyone else is going to do that for you.”

Tickets for the first wave of shows go on sale Friday (Oct. 23). Click here for more information.

Here are Ben Folds Five’s tour dates:

April 12 – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre
April 13 – Chattanooga, TN – Tivoli Theatre
April 15 – Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre
April 16 – Pompano Beach, FL – Pompano Beach Amphitheater
April 17 – Clearwater, FL – The BayCare Sound
April 20 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at The Moody Theater
April 21 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
April 22 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
April 24 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Company

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

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Editor Welcome to Vybez. I'm Chris Williamson — builder, strategist, and unapologetic champion of culture that moves people. Vybez exists at the crossroads where music, heritage, and ambition meet; a space for artists, innovators, and communities whose stories deserve more than a passing mention. From reggae's deep roots to the new wave redefining global sound, we cover the culture with intention. Expect sharp editorial, real conversations, and a platform that backs the artists shaping tomorrow. This isn't just a magazine. It's a movement with a microphone — the vybe starts here.