Live Review: Ben Folds and the Boston Pops

From his place before the Boston Pops in the perfect acoustics of Symphony Hall, Ben Folds sported the face of a man who thought he'd committed the perfect crime.

Folds was showing a crowd of Pops sophisticates that the tall hipster piano guy before them came armed with some serious musical chops. He'd brought a crowd of Folds fanatics more likely to pack the Paradise on a Friday night into Symphony Hall to cheer lustily for classical musicians. He had fans buying Ben Folds bobblehead dolls. Keith Lockhart had handed over the spotlight for the night. He could swear and get away with it. And through it all, he was a rocker who had managed to not only return to the classical roots of his youth, but also convince a world-renowned symphony orchestra to come along for the ride.

Folds had Symphony Hall fully in his power on Friday night and he knew it. And while a sharp set of Folds songs fleshed out through symphonic arrangements brought the audience into the Boston venue, what was captivating was the way Folds deftly used that power to charm and impress his crowd while clearly humoring himself. From the first Simpsons-esque melodic twists of set opener "Effington," Folds was ready to make the most of the unconventional collaboration.

Shortly before he launched into the breakup lyrics of "Cologne," the musician explained that the song was born while "high, in a little club, on codene."

"And now," he quipped with a giddy chuckle, "I got the Boston Pops to play it."

Despite the playful and spontaneous demeanor, Folds was focused on sharp arrangements, reflecting the ample experience he has had working with symphony orchestras since his first collaboration with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in 2005. Taking advantage of the opportunities presented, Folds gave "Lullabye" a bittersweet duet between piano and saxophone. A massive overture one would expect to hear prefacing a Broadway musical grew into a roar until the plucky opening notes to "Zak and Sara" took over, while a timpani kept the tempo hot during a big band take on "Steven's Last Night in Town."

While Folds briefly took a solo spot in the setlist to showcase two songs from his upcoming collaboration with British author Nick Hornby (who had just appeared in town two days prior), the crowd was rapt but restrained for the majority of the evening. When Lockhart and the Pops cleared the stage, however, the atmosphere switched from one of rich musicianship to rock and roll.

As audience members jumped to their feet, Folds also stood, attacking the piano keys as he pushed his way through a version of "Army" that featured a loud audience choral accompaniment. What seemed like an unplanned second encore gave the musician the chance to let "Rockin' the Suburbs" ring through the space; the song selection also allowed the audience to enjoy the naughty pleasure of screaming a choice expletive as loudly as possible.

And know what? Folds is onto something. Getting away with that felt good.