When Ben Folds heard the mayor of South Bend wanted to play the piano at his 2015 Indiana concert, he was ready to tell the sound technician to turn down the volume on the piano. “You know, the mayor sitting in sounds like a possible train wreck,” Folds told Esquire. But when Mayor Pete Buttigieg began playing the Ben Folds Five song, "Steven's Last Night in Town," it was clear he knew what he was doing.

“He and I went over the music quickly and he was obviously a very good pianist—no worries there," Folds said. "It was a very difficult song he pulled off. I’m serious. He’s a fine player.”

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Now that Buttigieg is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, the video of him performing with singer-songwriter Folds four years ago has made the rounds on Twitter. And it's because of stories and videos like these that Buttigieg has become something of a viral sensation since he announced his candidacy. As the Washington Post put it: "Pete Buttigieg is winning the Internet—for what that's worth." Earlier, this week a Facebook post went viral about the mayor making time in his day to marry a couple in his constituency just minutes before having they had a baby via a C-section. Before that, it was a story about Buttigieg learning Norwegian after reading a translated book by a Norwegian author—and wanting to read that writer's other work in their native language.

Folds snapped a selfie with Mayor Pete Buttigieg on-stage in 2015. Ben Folds

Those stories seem to be making an impression: The 37-year-old came in third in an Emerson poll of likely Iowa Democratic caucus voters released on Sunday.

Four years before he announced his candidacy, Folds could tell there was something different about the young mayor.

“The thing that struck me about the audience was that Pete’s presence didn’t elicit the predictable ‘political’ feel that comes over an audience when they’re confronted with a politician. Having a politician on is guaranteed to feel a little stiff and usually somewhat divisive at a concert,” Folds said. “But this was more like having world’s most beloved entertainer onstage. Lots of 'PEEEETE!!!' across all types, young and old. And he didn’t take the moment to grab the mic and talk or linger on stage. Total class.”

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My friend just sent me a video of @PeteButtigieg playing piano for @BenFolds and it’s... even better than I could have imagined? — Kristina Koppeser 😑 (@KristinaLuca) April 2, 2019

It wasn't the mayor's first performance. According to his official bio, he is an "active musician," who plays guitar as well as the piano, and he's performed with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. In 2015, Folds was performing with the orchestra in honor of the city's 150th anniversary.

Yesterday, Buttigieg tweeted the video of his duet with Folds, saying: "That was a good day."

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That was a good day https://t.co/adwbuvpshj — Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) April 2, 2019

That show was the only one Buttigieg has played with Folds, but the two stay in touch with the occasional Twitter joke. And Folds said when he heard Buttigieg was marrying Chasten Buttigieg last June, he sent the couple a photographic print based on his song "The Luckiest," which is popular at weddings.

As far as Buttigieg's 2020 run, Folds said, "I think if he manages to bring people together the way I saw from the stage in South Bend, he’s going to bring a great gift to the national conversation and its tone. "



Kate Storey Esquire Writer-at-Large Kate Storey is a Writer-at-Large for Esquire covering culture, politics, and style.

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