Billy Joel serenades Los Angeles at One Night Only arena show with surprise guests

Two rockers and a family member appeared during the night

Billy Joel is a consummate performer, entertaining a sold crowd at the new Intuit Dome, the newest venue in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood. The Piano Man started 30 minutes late due to a fire on the freeway that caused concertgoers a delay in arriving. He apologized to the crowd although they didn’t seem to care since they had settled in their seats and ready to sing along.

Joel tore through over two dozen songs in two and a half hours, with the crowd singing along to each song all night. Opening with “Miami 2017,” Joel performed additional concert staples “The Entertainer,” “Allentown,” and more while dazzling the crowd the lights and limited screen effects.

“Vienna” and “Zanzibar” kept the crowd moving while Joel explained he was “testing your endurance” performing album cuts that weren’t singles but have taken a life of their own in recent years. “Zanzibar” was a TikTok trend not long ago, and has been popular among the Gen-Zers.

Joel is humorous as he is talented! During the concert, he pulled off an accurate impression of Mick Jagger while standing during a shortened cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up.” He continued to stand for “An Innocent Man” where he joked about how he may have trouble hitting the high notes although he nailed them.

It wouldn’t be a Los Angeles performance without a few surprises would it? John Mayer was as the first surprise guest for “tasty” blues guitar solos on “This is the Time.” The second guest artist was Axl Rose for a cover of Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Live and Let Die” which Guns N Roses recorded and made a hit in the early 90s. The third and final guest of the night was Joel’s eight-year-old daughter Della Rose for “My Life” which was written and recorded decades before she was born. She stood on stage being sassy while she sang along with her father on lead vocals and piano.

“Only The Good Die Young” had everyone on their feet with the horns front and center during their solo. “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” was an appropriate number to play when performing a few miles away from Tinseltown. The audience knew every word as if it was  written for them!

In true Joel fashion, he showed off his talented band, giving each their time to shine. Whether it was an instrument solo or taking over lead vocals, Joel has a tight and well rounded group of musicians supporting him.

The encore is always my favorite part where the bulk of the rocking hits are played. “We Didn’t Start the Fire” with Joel taking on guitar duties instead of the piano is always a fun one live! The rapid fire lyrics are sung in stride and the band songs much of the chorus.

Joel continued to stand sing for “Uptown Girl” and “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” before returning to his grand piano for “Big Shot” and “You May Be Right” which is interspersed with Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll,” the latter sung by guitarist Mike DelGuidice.

If you count the snippets, Joel performed 31 songs to the rowdy LA crowd. The new Clippers venue holds roughly 18,000 and they were all there to enjoy some soft classic rock that brought nostalgia to many no matter the age. Joel’s music transcends generations. My 14-year-old has begged to see him live for years and finally got to witness a magical night of music and fun by one of the most important songwriters of the modern era!

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn