If the Paramount Theatre in Rutland, Vermont is not already on your list, let this be the show that puts it there. A restored 1914 theater with a Victorian opera house interior — gold-leaf ceilings, tapestry-covered walls, an oval ceiling painting depicting music and the dramatic arts — it is exactly the room you want for a solo piano show. Lobby opens at 6:00 PM, seating begins at 6:30, and the show starts at 7:00 PM on Saturday, June 6.
About Ben Folds
Ben Folds built his name fronting Ben Folds Five, the Chapel Hill piano-rock trio behind Whatever and Ever Amen (1997) and the radio standard “Brick.” His solo catalog runs from Rockin’ the Suburbs (2001) through What Matters Most (2023), and in between he has collaborated with the National Symphony Orchestra — recordings that debuted at the top of the Billboard classical and classical crossover charts. He is also an Emmy-nominated musician, a New York Times bestselling author, and the founder of Keys for Kids, a music education initiative in North Carolina.
The “A Piano Tour” format means exactly what it says: Folds and a piano. No band, no orchestra, no production buffer. In a room with the architectural bones of the Paramount, that stripped-down intimacy is the whole point. This is the format that exposes every note, and the room rewards it.
Special guest Lindsey Kraft — actress known from Netflix’s Grace and Frankie and HBO’s Getting On — opens the night with her theatrical pop songwriting.
About the Paramount Theatre
The Paramount Theatre opened in January 1914 and spent its early decades hosting Will Rogers, Sarah Bernhardt, and Houdini — artists passing through on the rail corridor between Montreal and Boston. It survived the devastating 1927 Vermont flood as a community refuge, went dark in 1975, and came back to life after a full restoration that wrapped in 2000. The 838-seat room is one of the finest performing arts venues in the North Country, and the acoustics match the architecture. It is worth planning a night around.
Tickets & Pricing
Tickets are on sale now at $79, $89, and $99 (plus tax and fees). Note that complimentary vouchers are not valid for this performance. Get your tickets here.