Ben, Rufus are piano yin, yang

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Two piano men took the stage Wednesday at Wolf Trap's Filene Center with only the tool of their trade in common.

Rufus Wainwright, he of the impressive musical lineage (Loudon Wainwright, Kate McGarrigle), and geek god Ben Folds both live and die by those 88 keys, but in concert, they stand worlds apart.

The dichotomy proved entertaining, if one could endure the cultural and aesthetic whiplash.

First, Mr. Folds delighted the sold-out crowd with his jazz-infused romps, only to have the slickly theatrical Mr. Wainwright lull the audience toward a gentle good night.

Mr. Folds, touring to support his most recent disc, "Songs for Silverman," couldn't care less about appearances. He mocked his humid 'do and stood scissor-legged over the piano bench as if it were lined with thumbtacks.

He's a deliriously entertaining piano player, not averse to crushing the keys with a forearm for a dash of spice.

His set leaned heavily on "Silverman," a melodious batch of material typical of his songbook -- witty, occasionally verbose and never dull.

The album's "Bastard" opened his set, and he ran through material new and old without touching his one hit single, "Brick."

With such a fervent fan base, who needs a layup?

It also helps that Mr. Folds' precious voice loses some of its bitterness when cast across an expanse such as the open-air Vienna music hall.