Ben Folds Five's reunion tour wraps at Avondale Brewing

The trio's first tour since 2013 hits Birmingham's backyard stage on Sat, Apr 24, with Andrew McMahon opening.

There's a decent chance some of you still have a dubbed cassette of *Whatever and Ever Amen* in a shoebox somewhere. Next spring, you'll get to hear those songs played by the three people who made them, outdoors in Avondale. Ben Folds Five play Avondale Brewing Company on Saturday, April 24, 2027, with Andrew McMahon opening. The date was announced October 21.

Here's what to know. The show starts at 7pm. Tickets range from $60.65 to $84.25 through Ticketmaster. Avondale's outdoor space holds about 2,000. Tickets went on sale October 23, so they've been moving for a week and a half already.

This is a real reunion. Ben Folds, bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee are heading out together for the first time since 2013, as Stereogum and Spin both reported when the dates went up. It's a short run. According to JamBase's announcement, the listed dates go from April 12 to April 24, working through the Southeast and Texas, with stops including Knoxville, Chattanooga, Jacksonville and Pompano Beach. Birmingham is the final date on that schedule, at least for now. TicketNews noted that more dates could still be added.

For a band whose whole sound was "punk rock for sissies," with piano, fuzz bass and drums and no guitar, a closing night can be special. By the end of a run, a reunited band is usually at its loosest, and a final show tends to bring out deep cuts and onstage banter that the opening nights don't.

No guitars, three players, and a last-night-of-tour crowd in a brewery yard: that's a very Birmingham kind of spring evening.

The opener is a smart match. Andrew McMahon, whom many people know from Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, is another piano-led songwriter who came out of the same era of emotional, hook-heavy rock. Expect a lot of people in the crowd who know every word of both sets.

Avondale Brewing is one of Birmingham's go-to outdoor stages for touring acts once the weather turns. The backyard sits right in the middle of the Avondale strip, so you can have dinner nearby, walk over, and stay for a beer after the encore. Late April in Birmingham is usually as good as outdoor-show weather gets here: warm enough for short sleeves and not yet sticky.

Before the band reunion gets going, Folds has solo dates in the UK, Europe and Australia, according to the tour coverage, so the trio's month together in the Southeast is a fairly rare window.

If "Brick" or "Battle of Who Could Care Less" helped get you through high school, this is the one to circle on the calendar. Bring a jacket for after sunset, and bring your loudest voice for "Song for the Dumped."

Sources: Ben Folds Five announce reunion tour – Stereogum (stereogum.com); Ben Folds Five first tour since 2013 – Spin (spinmagazine.com); Ben Folds Five Reunites For 2027 U.S. Tour – JamBase (jambase.com); Ben Folds Five sets 2027 return with April tour dates – TicketNews (ticketnews.com); Ben Folds Five Announce Spring 2027 U.S. Tour Dates – mxdwn (music.mxdwn.com); Ben Folds Five at Avondale Brewing Company – Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.evyy.net)