Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
“Hey, what the hell?!” someone shouted belligerently — or at least more belligerently than you’d expect outside the entrance to a Billy Joel concert. The doors to Madison Square Garden were supposed to open at 6 p.m. but now it was 6:30, and some shoving had ensued. This wasn’t just a line for fans to get into the venue but a chance for them to purchase official shirts, hats, and jackets exclusive to Joel’s 150th gig at the World’s Most Famous Arena, and the last of his monthly (more or less) residency that began in 2014.
In addition to the typical MSG merch spots, a separate pop-up had been erected to mark the occasion. Sure, most of the material was available to buy online — minus a custom “I Was There” tee — but that wasn’t going to stop the cascade of AARP-qualifying Long Islanders and New Jerseyites from busting out their Mastercards. A Billy Joel crowd may not overlap much with the self-promoting TikTok generation, but bragging rights are universal.
The initial discord had surprised the two Gen-Z ushers I spoke to. Tasia said she’d staffed a few Joel shows before and that the audiences were “always very friendly.” Idll, working his first, was hoping to poke his head upstairs before the night was done. “‘Uptown Girl,’ that’s the jam there,” he said, giving me a pound.
Despite the confusion about what this show actually represented — it was the final performance of the residency but Joel, 75, was not retiring, and, as he had made clear, was definitely going to play the Garden again — many had traveled long distances: England, Australia, Rockville Centre. Which meant they expected something special. “Maybe ‘Captain Jack’,” a fan named Melissa told me, a cut Joel had only played eight times since 2009. She and her pal Caryn had taken the train in from Commack for their “eighth or ninth” Joel at MSG show, spending about $300 each for tickets up top — plus an additional $50 each for one of those “I Was There” shirts. “Well, $51 if you include the bag,” said Melissa, who unfortunately did not get “Captain Jack.”
Those price points were nothing compared to what Lena — covered head to toe in Joel swag, including key chains and patches of his old album covers from Piano Man to Storm Front, but not his 2001 symphonic work Fantasies & Delusions — spent for floor seats. “More than $4,000, plus my flight up from Atlanta and the hotel,” she said, making a pouty face. But then, she had never seen Joel at the Garden, and “it was now or never” for her. She’d been obsessed with the multi-platinum-selling artist “ever since Oliver and Company,” the 1988 Disney film in which Joel voices a Jack Russell terrier.
Everyone I spoke to also anticipated some special guests. At the 100th Joel at MSG show, Jerry Seinfeld did a little introductory schtick, so perhaps Letterman might show up for a Top 10 Things You See at a Billy Joel Concert bit.
Alas, the first celebrity cameo was from Jimmy Fallon, who ran out with his usual flop-sweat energy. “He’s sold millions of albums, entertained people around the world, he’s a great father, he’s a great friend — but he’s always a woman to me!” Fallon joshed while Joel curtseyed. The late-night host then cued the stagehands to raise a commemorative banner that read “Billy Joel 150 Most Lifetime Performances by Any Artist.” All 20,000 in attendance were given a mini version as we entered the arena, so check eBay in a day or two if you’d like one for yourself.
Since it launched in 2014, Joel’s MSG residency has also typically reserved a spot for a high-profile musical guest. Previous sit-ins include Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Sting, John Mellencamp, Olivia Rodrigo, Trey Anastasio, Miley Cyrus, Elvis Costello, John Fogerty, Itzhak Perlman, and Tony Bennet. So who would fans get tonight? Elton John? Paul McCartney? Nope — Axl Rose, who came out in dark shades and a sparkly jacket that appeared to be on loan from Van Morrison’s The Last Waltz wardrobe. The audience seemed appreciative when the two began covering “Live and Let Die,” but Rose’s voice was not in peak form, and the performance was all over the place. Thankfully, he settled into a groove on the next track, AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” I’m not sure how many people who came to hear “New York State of Mind” would have wanted the Guns N’ Roses frontman to show up, but it’s what they got; Axl reappeared again later on, to caterwaul during the final encore of “You May Be Right.”
There’s always been a smidge of Vegas revue to a Joel MSG show — blazing through the hits with some odd recurring deviations, like singing the first half of the Rolling Stones’s “Start Me Up” while making mock Mick dance moves, or when percussionist/saxophonist Crystal Taliefero halts “The River of Dreams” to cover “River Deep — Mountain High.” Strangest is when guitarist Mike DelGuidice sings the Puccini aria “Nessun dorma” before “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant.” All of these moments brought the house down, but one does have to wonder how they ended up as recurring parts of the act. (Weirdly, Joel did not play his new tune “Turn the Lights Back On,” one of only two new pop songs he’s recorded since the early 1990s.)
Despite sticking to the basic script, fans were locked in. Billy Joel, as he sang early in the show, is indeed “The Entertainer.” There was hardly any chatter near me, and nearly everyone stayed on their feet the entire time, even during the slow songs. Joel complained of allergies — he kept blowing his nose between tunes, and shouted “it’s not cocaine” as he sprayed some saline up his schnozz — but his voice sounded terrific and clear. Sure, the 150th show lacked any deep cuts (one woman told me she’d do anything to hear “You’re My Home,” while her husband interjected “nah, ‘Summer, Highland Falls,’ that’s the one”) but by the time everyone was singing along to “Piano Man” with the house lights up, no one seemed to be complaining.
On 7th Avenue after the gig, there were guys selling knockoff T-shirts that were almost as good as the ones inside, and the pedicabs were blasting “Uptown Girl” and “The Longest Time” instead of the typical tourist-pleaser “Empire State of Mind.” I saw guys high-fiving one another, as if the Rangers had just made the playoffs, not a guy from Long Island completing his millionth rendition of “The Downeaster ‘Alexa.’” I also wasn’t about to remind people who shelled out thousands thinking this would be Joel’s final MSG gig that they kinda-sorta got worked. “We’ll be back,” Joel told the crowd early in the set. Considering how the lousiest seats behind the stage and beneath a sound-baffling overhang were going for $600 on StubHub a few hours earlier, I’d recommend saving up now.
“Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)”
“Pressure”
“The Entertainer”
“Zanzibar”
“Vienna”
“My Life”
“Start Me Up”
“An Innocent Man”
“The Downeaster “Alexa””
“Don’t Ask Me Why”
“New York State of Mind”
“Allentown”
“This Is the Time”
“Live and Let Die” (with Axl Rose)
“Highway to Hell” (with Axl Rose)
“Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)”
“Only the Good Die Young”
“The River of Dreams”
“Nessun dorma” (with Mike DelGuidice)
“Scenes From an Italian Restaurant”
“Piano Man”
ENCORE
“We Didn’t Start the Fire”
“Uptown Girl”
“It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me”
“Big Shot”
“You May Be Right”