Ben Folds Solo: Paper Airplane Request Tour

Ben Folds plays Royal Festival Hall, London, on 20 November 2026 with his Paper Airplane Request Tour, a solo format that lets the audience help shape the night. Emmy-nominated and long-time frontman of Ben Folds Five, the American singer, songwriter and pianist has built a catalogue that moves from piano-pop to chamber pieces and orchestral projects. Alongside his pop records and tours, he has spent years performing with major symphony orchestras and served as Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, with whom he also released a live album.

Here, the show opens with a set that draws widely across his albums, then shifts gear: the room writes requests, folds them into paper airplanes and sends them toward the stage. Folds picks from the pile between songs and answers at the piano — hits, deep cuts, oddities — shaping a second half that changes with the crowd. The result is a direct look at his songwriting and improvisation, and a concert that turns into a conversation in real time.