Ben Folds Five is back!!

For serious. This is the most exciting news I've heard in a while. The original band, including bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee, will be performing one show at UNC-Chapel Hill's Memorial Hall on September 18.

I'm an obsessive Ben Folds fan -- I camped outside for his show two years ago in Chapel Hill with nothing but a sleeping bag and a backpack as a pillow -- and started listening to him long after the Five had broken up, so I am unbelievably pumped for this rare opportunity. The group hasn't played together in 10 years.

According to the website, the band will be playing their album The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner in its entirety, which means they'll be playing "Army" and "Narcolepsy," two of my favorite Ben Folds Five songs. And to add icing to the cake, Jessee's new band, Hotel Lights, will be opening the show. Can it get much better?

I hope students get a first shot at these tickets, otherwise I will be all over etix.com next week.