Zoo Twilights at Melbourne Zoo 2018

Ben Folds Announced As First Act For 2018

Melbourne Zoo is thrilled to announce the return of its annual summer concert series Zoo Twilights in 2018, and reveal the first artist on the 2018 lineup. Lauded singer-songwriter and piano-pop maverick Ben Folds will be making his highly anticipated return to Melbourne with an all-ages performance under the stars on Friday 16 February with support from Lucy Rose. The full 2018 Zoo Twilights lineup will be announced on Wednesday 18 October.

Sign up here to be the first to find out the full lineup and access pre-sales. Zoo Twilights pre-sale starts at 8am (Melb) Wednesday 18 October until 11:59pm Monday 23 October. Tickets will be on sale to the public 8am (Melb) Tuesday 24 October.

The Zoo Twilights open-air concert series is a diamond in Melbourne's summer calendar, offering the unparalleled thrill of live music set amongst of the Zoo's world-class grounds. Running in 2018 from Friday 26 January – Saturday 10 March inclusive, every concert is open to all ages and as a not-for-profit organisation, it's all for a good cause. Every ticket sold through Zoo Twilights goes back into Zoos Victoria's ongoing commitment to fight extinction of the 21 most at-risk species in Victoria, including the Eastern Barred Bandicoot which is sadly extinct in the wild.

Performing at Zoo Twilights armed with his career spanning songbook, Ben Folds is widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of our generation, and certainly one of its most compelling live performers. For his 2018 shows, the virtuoso will bring his two-part solo show to Melbourne Zoo, delivering a high-energy rock performance using just his piano in a way that only Ben Folds can. The first half of the show will feature a curated set list likely to include hits like -Brick', -One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces' and -Rockin' The Suburbs'. The reins will then be handed over to the audience for the second half of the show for a Paper Aeroplane Request set, during which audience members will be encouraged to write their song requests onto a piece of paper, fold it into a paper plane and launch onto the stage on cue. Ben Folds will then randomly select a plane and perform the request.

Throughout his career, Ben Folds has created an enormous body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, and collaborative records with artists from Sara Bareilles and Regina Spektor, to William Shatner and novelist Nick Hornby. He has appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with David Letterman, and in 2015, performed at a special Mother's Day concert at the White House for Michelle Obama. Ben Folds blend of distinctive vocals, deft musicianship, witty lyricism and high-octane onstage energy will be showcased in their purest and most spontaneous form in these solo performances. For die-hard Folds fans and curious newcomers alike, there's no better way to experience one of the most distinctive singer-songwriters of the last 25 years.

Support on the night comes from UK indie-folk singer and guitarist Lucy Rose, also supporting Ben Folds on his entire Australian tour. A star on the rise, her music has been featured in Girls, The Vampire Diaries and Skins with Vogue calling her 'one of indie music' breakout stars" and CLASH Music noting her 'unquestionable talent and vulnerability in equal measure."

Enjoy Melbourne Zoo's lush surrounds at Zoo Twilights with food trucks and bars mere steps away as some of the world's finest acts perform. Sign up to the Zoo Twilights mailing list here and be the first to access the full lineup and ticket pre-sales.