The network ended the broadcast two minutes early
CBS is set to rebroadcast The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Graden – The Greatest Arena Run of All Time on Friday, April 19th following the final two minutes of the special being cut off in the Eastern and Central time zones after airing of The Masters went late. The singer-songwriter was in the middle of his signature song, “Piano Man,” when the broadcast cut to local news, sparking an outrage on social media.
“A network programming timing error ended last night’s Billy Joel special approximately two minutes early in the Eastern and Central Time Zones,” CBS says in a statement. “We apologize to Mr. Joel, his fans, our affiliated stations, and our audience whose viewing experience was interrupted during the last song. Due to the overwhelming demand from his legion of fans, Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden will be rebroadcast in its entirety on CBS on April 19th at 9 pm ET/PT.”
The concert special was shot at Joel’s record-breaking 100th consecutive performance at Madison Square Garden as part of his franchise run on March 28th. It marked his first broadcast network concert but only featured a selection of songs from the 25-song set, including his newly released “Turn The Lights Back On,” his first new single in decades.
The full 90-minute special is available on demand on Paramount+, but fans were still upset, cursing out the network.
“Hey @CBS wtf is this?! You cut off @billyjoel during ‘Piano Man’ of all songs?! And then didn’t come back to it?!?! Now wonder network TV is a mess. Not ballin, not ballin at all,” on Twitter user writes.
“Dear @CBS, Fuck off,” another shares. “#BillyJoel #MSG #100 concert not only starts a half hour late, but then you cut off the last 3-4 minutes for local news to start at 1130? Are you serious. Absolutely pathetic decision making, on an event that’s been advertised for MONTHS, and you fuck it up!”
It’s unclear if the entire performance will be released outside of the broadcast. Joel’s ten-year run ends with his 150th lifetime performance at the historic New York City venue in July.
In December 2013, Joel was named Madison Square Garden’s first-ever music franchise, joining the ranks of the storied venue’s other original franchises – the New York Knicks and New York Rangers. The record-breaking residency began in January 2014 with Joel playing one show every month at The Garden for, as Joel said at the time, “as long as the demand continues.” In January 2015, Joel broke his own record of the “most consecutive performances by any artist” with the 13th show of the residency and a new banner was raised to The Garden’s rafters. In July 2015, with his 65th lifetime show, Joel broke another record for the “most lifetime performances by any artist,” for which another banner was raised. Both of Joel’s banners continue to hang at The Garden and are replaced each month with each performance.
The 74-year-old Piano Man will headline a series of stadiums throughout 2024. Solo dates and concerts with both Stevie Nicks and Sting are scheduled through the fall, including a one-off show at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Friday, August 9th, joined by special guest Chris Isaak.
