Joel performed his 40thย residency show on Good Friday, his 86th career performance at The Worldโs Most Famous Arena.
The depth of Billy Joelโs catalogue was on display during his 40th consecutive residency show at Madison Square Garden last night (Friday, April 14th). Throughout the evening, Joel gave the 18,000-strong crowd a history lesson, naming the title and year of the albums the numbers were from before launching into them with the full force of his backing band. Many of those songs were released well before half the audience was born.
Opening with โMiami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)โ, Joel did not let up. Cramming 27 songs into twoย hours and twentyย minutes, he played a little of everything from his catalogue. It is a true testament to Joelโs career that he can stop the show to let the audience choose, and both songs on offer receive a rousing ovation. At this concert, the crowd chose โFor the Longest Timeโ over โAn Innocent Manโ. It sounded just as good live in 2017 as it did on the 1983 recording.
Billy Joel has enjoyed a staying power few in the music industry will ever experience. He has not released any new pop material since 1993โs River of Dreams. Still, his lyrics and melody from 30 and 40 years ago continue to permeate the popular culture. This was easily seen at the Garden, where people of all age sang along, cheered, and danced, helping Joel turn the arena into a piano bar.
The thing about Joelโs catalogue that is once amazing and infuriating is that the audiences never knows what they are in for during a live show. Die-hard Joel fans want to hear everything, and the singer knows how to find the right balance between those popular album cuts and singles. But that means he also has the tough job of figuring out what songs to cut. Staples like โBallad of Billy the Kidโ rarely make an appearance these days.
Taking the piano shortly after 8:30, Joel was dressed in an all-black suit, seemingly allowing him to disappear into his large songbook. The showโs special effects, too, put all the emphasis on music. Minimal lighting and video displays added to the complex lyricism and instrumentation. The piano itself turned on a turntable. This allowed all parts of the arena to see Joelโs mastery of those 88 keys. After the first few songs, he joked about the Lazy Susan, remarking, โEltonโs doesnโt do thatโ.
Seven long, rectangular screens hung above the stage, appropriately reminiscent of the keys on a keyboard. This allowed the far reaches of the arena to get a glimpse of the Joelโs performance energy, which varied between stoic and manic. The show was played on an in the round stage to allow even more people to enjoy the music. Fans could be seen dancing high behind Billy Joelโs backing band. There was no barrier between the Piano Man and his audience: no matter where anyone sat, they were right there with him.
Bill Joel is known for inviting surprise special special guests, and his 40th consecutive residency show was no exception. House of Cards star Kevin Spacey joined in on โNew York State of Mind.” Spaceyโs from Jersey, but we forgave him. And, damn, can President Underwood sing.
Bill Joel continues to sell out shows as a fixture at Madison Square Garden. Concerts have been announced through August. That particular show will mark his 44th during this run, and 90th career performance at MSG. If (and when) he performs this residency through the end of 2017, Joel will have performed more shows at the Garden in the last four years than in the entirety of his career previously. The historic shows began as an incredible idea and took off beyond anyoneโs expectations. Sometimes a Fantasy is the Real Thing.