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"Talking With Billy Joel"
By: Jeff Miers
(April 10th, 2007)

"I really think I'm a mediocre singer. I can't stand the sound of my voice."

You'd think an artist who has retained a close relationship with the upper echelons of the charts for 30 years would, by this point, be quite comfortable in his own skin.

Few artists have balanced artistic and commercial success with as much skill as Billy Joel. His "Greatest Hits: Volume I & II" alone is 20-times platinum, and every studio album he's released save one has sold more than 1 million copies. That makes him one of the most popular recording artists in history.

And yet Joel remains his own worst critic, a man who has likened the piano through which he’s communicated with his muse for more than three decades to "a beast with 88 teeth," and has compared the songwriting process which has yielded him dozens of hit singles and a mantle full of Grammys to "a particularly painful birthing experience."

Looking back on his body of recorded work, it's easy to lump Joel in with his hero, Paul McCartney, as that rarest of artist able to remain both artistically credible and commercially successful, despite the reigning popular tastes of the day. Joel's having none of it.

"I just don't consider what I do to be all that special, certainly not on the level of the Beatles," he says. "Which is not to say I'm ungrateful to the people who like what it is I do. But really, it has often seemed to me that I look good only because so much around me looks bad!"

Joel is speaking by phone from his home a few days before arriving in Buffalo to kick off the second leg of his current tour. He plays at 8 tonight in HSBC Arena.

Joel fans will have to content themselves with the man's still-inspired concerts, which celebrate a body of work well beyond the capabilities of the majority of Joel's peers, and are marked by an attention to craft, a musicianship and a lyricism that is probably largely unfamiliar to listeners in their teens and 20s today. In fact, the fully-actualized classical piano pieces on "Fantasies & Delusions" are not unlike the melodies buoying Joel's rock songs, which are notable for Classical-based melodies, often intricate harmonies, and immaculately honed arrangements.

Not surprisingly, Joel has trouble seeing the forest for the trees. He's just not one to look back - not in anger, nor through the soggy glow of nostalgia.

"I've really not been able to sit back and look at my stuff with any objectivity. It's really all totally subjective to me; I can recall the writing process of pretty much every single song I've recorded, and it's not something I really want to relive! I just can't really take stock.

"I guess the fact that I always wanted to be better - not that I was totally disappointed with the things I'd done - is what kept me moving. As soon as I was finished with something, I wanted to move on, rather than dwelling there for a long time."

A Set-List To Satisfy

This last bit might sound contradictory, coming from a man who, when on tour nightly crafts a set-list from old songs. It has been suggested that Joel has been suffering from writer's block since the release of his last rock album, 1993's multi-platinum "River of Dreams," but that scenario isn't likely. It's much more probable that Joel just doesn't feel like killing himself to produce a rock record in a world where "the album, unfortunately, is totally dead in the water these days, and is likely to stay that way for a while."

Like Bob Dylan - who does release inspired new recordings, but usually only plays a handful of tunes from them in concert - Joel is now content to reimagine, wrestle with, and recontextualize a pre-existing body of work from night to night.

"When we do put a set-list together, from a performing point of view, we have to balance what it is we like to play, with what the audience wants to hear, with what creates a well-balanced show. It's tricky. We kinda got a handle on it now. We keep trying new things out - well, not new things, but old things we haven't done in a long time - and if they don't get a good response after two or three performances, we just kind of take them out back and shoot them!

"I know there will always be obscurities that a few people want to hear, and these are usually songs that we really want to play ourselves, but if it's proven often enough to be a 'bathroom break song' for the audience, what's the point? I'd say a good 80 percent of the audience wants to hear very familiar things - hit songs that have gotten a lot of radio play. And there are songs that aren't hits, per se, that they still want to hear, like 'Scenes From An Italian Restaurant' and 'Captain Jack.'"

Does this frustrate Joel, or make him feel confined?

"I wouldn't say it frustrates me," he replies, after a lengthy pause.

"It's an interesting puzzle to have to solve. Sure, there are nights where we would like to play more of the obscure material, but that's not really what people are paying for. And I have to respect that.

"I have to be aware that people pay a ton of money now for tickets, and as low as we try to keep our ticket prices (Joel's HSBC Arena tickets top out at $86.50, which is far less than many acts of his stature are currently charging) we still have to make sure we cover our nut and try to send everyone (in the band) goes home with some money. While it would be aesthetically pleasing to do nothing but what we would like to indulge in, I would not feel good walking away from a show where the audience was disappointed."

Would Joel ever consider doing something other seasoned acts have done - taking a particular album and performing it from start to finish in concert? Say, "The Nylon Curtain?"

"That would be fun to do, and maybe in a smaller context - if we were playing in an intimate venue, for a smaller group of people - we'd be able to do that," he said. "But as much as that would be so rewarding for us, we haven't figured out how to do that yet."

Woos Younger Audience

The irreverence and rebelliousness that have always marked Joel's musical persona - despite the rather misguided popular notion of him as merely a sensitive singer/songwriter type - seems at odds with current rage for "big business of nostalgia" tours bearing unwieldy admission prices (such as the current Police reunion tour, which tops out at $220 a ticket).

"I think it's a short-sighted on a lot of people's part, because the problem is, you cut out a lot of the younger audience," Joel says. "Younger people don't have that kind of money to spend. It's more affluent middle-aged people who are able to pay those kinds of prices, and you end up preaching to the converted. It's not very rock and roll.

"Not to take away from having loyal, long-term fans who are older - that's a blessing. But you always need to infuse your audience with younger people. You've gotta keep bringing in new blood! And they make for a much more enthusiastic, noisy audience, which helps the show in the end. Nothing can kill a show, for me, as quickly as looking down and seeing a bunch of affluent older people in the front row, who paid too much for their tickets, and they're just sitting there like bumps on a log. So for a long time, we’ve not sold the tickets in the front row - we hang onto them and give them to the kids who ended up way in the back.

"If you look down and you see a bunch of young kids who are thrilled to be in those seats, and they're going nuts and really reacting to the music - well, then you feel like you're doing something worthwhile and meaningful."


"Joel Brings 'A' Game To HSBC"
By: Jeff Miers
(April 11th, 2007)

He never really wanted to be a rock star, necessarily. He knew he would be a musician, from a young age, as it was "in the blood," as they say, and the kid from Hicksville, Long Island, had it, and bad.

But Billy Joel always thought he would write music for others to perform, songs for others to sing. Fate, though, has a way of working its will, and Joel ended up having to sing his own songs, mostly just because he couldn’t get anyone else to sing them for him. And so the world’s most unlikely rock star was born.

Tuesday, Joel came back to HSBC Arena for the first time since sharing that stage with Elton John some five years back. On that night, he stole the stage from John, who had an off night.

Tuesday, he made sure every performer who mans that stage from here on out will have to deal with the echoes of his show, which was an inspired tour through some of the finest music to emerge from the rock era - which, for our purposes here, will be narrowed to the time between 1956 and, oh, 1985, when the business end of the music industry fully took over.

Joel has not released a new album of rock songs since the fine "River of Dreams" album in 1993. To be sure, his particular slant on things both melodic and "textual" is sorely missed. (No comment on the Bush years? C'mon, Billy!)

That said, Joel has never lost the spark that lit his path from the Long Island rock scene of the late '60s to the stages of the world through the late '70s, '80s and early '90s.

Taking his love for (and understanding of) The Beatles, blending it with a penchant for memorable classical-based melodies, and throwing in a bit of "whatever" - the good side of "show tunes," some hard rock, some prog-rock, and more Aaron Copeland than most people probably noticed - Joel made pop music that mattered and became a huge commercial force in the process. (That used to happen, folks, I swear.)

Tuesday's show was not about surprising any of us, though there were some deep cuts, and some impromptu moments.

Rather, it was about a few different things for different sectors of the audience, which was huge - just about a sell-out, I’m told - and full of energy.

For some, it was a wonderful chance to hear Joel, still (at age 57) in possession of one of the finer rock vocal instruments, lay into tunes like "Everybody Loves You Now," "Zanzibar," and "Vienna" - none of them "hits," per se.

For others, it was about having a good old time, with Joel as the soundtrack.

Still others probably sought to relive their days listening to "Piano Man" in college.

All of this seemed to be fine with Joel, who is one of the more entertaining "emcees" in rock.

The set-list was exactly what it should have been, with Joel grabbing the "88s" and blasting out the metallic arpeggio announcing "Prelude/ Young Man," and then easing into a warm, grooving "My Life." (That tune remains as "punk" to me as the Sex Pistols' "Holiday In The Sun," and I'll stand on John Lydon's coffee table in my New York Dolls T-Shirt and exclaim as much.)

"The Entertainer" showed the young Joel to be much more prescient than he probably would've liked to be, but here, 33 years later, it just sounded like a smokin' tune, with the Copeland overtones making themselves heard again. Shall I run them all down, these tunes that ripped from the fabric of our pop (in the good sense) consciousness?

"Allentown" did Bruce Springsteen with much more sophisticated chord voicings, while "Vienna" spoke of Joel's musical home with grace. "New York State of Mind" is a jazz standard, clearly, and fell beautifully into the Scott Joplinesque "Root Beer Rag."

"Don't Ask Me Why" wore its Paul McCartney influence proudly, but still came off like pure Joel.

It was all rollicking, inspired, touching, and butt-kicking, by turns.

Kind of like Joel's recorded body of work itself.


"The 'Piano Man' Cometh"
By: Anthony Castrovince
(April 12th, 2007)

His talents are more suited toward the national anthem, but Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Billy Joel will be throwing out the first pitch before Friday's home game against the Sox.

Joel will be in town to play a sold-out concert next door at Quicken Loans Arena later that night.

"Billy is a huge baseball fan and has been following the weather challenges that have plagued the city of Cleveland the past few days," said Bob DiBiasio, the Indians' vice president of public relations. "This is his way of paying tribute to the passionate Tribe fans who have been patient to get the home season started."


"Billy Joel Ready To 'Shut Up'"
(April 12th, 2007)

Billy Joel, who's on the road to promote his four-CD retrospective boxed set "My Lives," doesn't like to be away from home a lot these days.

"I really get homesick a lot at this time in my life," he told the New York Daily News in 2006. The tour has been mostly concentrated in New York and the Northeast, allowing him to stay close to his wife, Katie Lee, whom he wed in 2004.

With more than 100 million records sold, Joel, who also won a Tony for the dance-adaptation of his music "Movin' Out," is still writing material. But he keeps most of the compositions for himself.

"I have been a recording artist for a long time, and I have had my say,'' he said. "I suppose I had a lot more ambition and a lot more arrogance when I was younger to think what I had to say was all that important. Now I'm at a point where I say, I've shot my mouth off enough. What I have to say is not all that fascinating. You know what? It's time to shut up!''

He released a song earlier this year, "All My Life," as a CD-single and download track. His first pop song in 14 years, it was written as an anniversary present for his wife.


"Billy Joel Gives His Fans What They Came For"
"Piano Man"'s Long List of Classics Helps Pack Times-Union Center

By: Greg Haymes
(April 18th, 2007)

He was the "Angry Young Man." The "Big Shot." "The Entertainer."
And, of course, the "Piano Man."

There was no surprise about just what the fans were going to get at Billy Joel's concert at the Times-Union Center on Tuesday night.

After all, the man hasn't recorded an album of new songs in nearly a decade and a half. So yes, of course, the "Piano Man" was going to offer up an evening of his pop classics. And why not? That's exactly what his fans came to hear.

He didn't disappoint. He served up nearly all the big trademark Billy Joel hits, beginning with the one-two punch of "Prelude/Angry Young Man" and "My Life."

Yes, there were a handful of gems that went unplayed on Tuesday - "Captain Jack" and "Uptown Girl," for notable examples - but he managed to cram in so many of his other hits that few in the sold-out crowd seemed to notice.

As his center-stage grand piano rotated to face audience members seated all around him, he served up the highlights of his vast multi-platinum repertoire: the industrial chug of "Allentown," the intimate, bluesy "New York State of Mind" (featuring sax man Mark Rivera), the coming-of-age epic "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" and the rapid-fire history lesson/laundry list "We Didn't Start The Fire."

It wasn't all about the hits, however. He sneaked quite a few relative obscurities into the set-list as well, including the jazz-flecked, Steely Dan-ish "Zanzibar" (with some sparkling trumpet playing by Carl Fischer), the neo-ragtime instrumental "Root Beer Rag" (featuring Joel's best keyboard work of the night) and the bouncy 1971 ditty "Everybody Loves You Now," dating back to his pre-superstar days.

And as usual, Joel and his seven-piece band cranked out a few well-considered cover tunes, as well. The easy-going doo-wop soul of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" served as the perfect introduction to the like-minded Spanish Harlem stroll of "An Innocent Man."

On the other hand, I have no idea why Joel strapped on a guitar and turned the microphone over to one of his roadies to sing the AC/DC headbanger "Highway To Hell." Maybe he just felt like it. And that was OK with the fans, too, who enthusiastically yelled along.

At this point in his career Joel has absolutely nothing to prove. He doesn't even bother to make new albums, but the fans still clamor for tickets as though he's one of the hottest acts in the music business.

And maybe he is.

Early in Joel's show, PYX-106 radio morning man Bob Wolf jumped onstage to announce that as of Tuesday night's sell-out, Joel officially became the all-time highest box office sales act in the history of Albany's Knickerbocker/Pepsi/Times-Union arena.

Not bad for a rock and roll kid from Long Island who played his first Capital Region gig 40 years ago - that's right, 40 years - in 1967 at the Aerodrome in Schenectady as a member of The Hassles.


"Concert Review: Billy Joel (Cleveland, Ohio: April 13th, 2007)"
By: Peter Chakerian
(April 19th, 2007)

Let it never be said that the "Piano Man" "phones in" a performance. On this particular Friday night in Cleveland, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Billy Joel proved again why he is just about peerless. In front of a packed house, he delivered song after song with wit, vigor, and a sense of pride that comes with nearly 40 years of hard musical labor. Because of this, Joel kept the butts in the seats until the last notes were delivered.

Joel and his band emerged to the overture from "The Natural," kicking off the Quicken Loans Arena set with "Prelude/Angry Young Man." He proceeded to deliver a semi-chronological, 165-minute set that was as much powerful piano rock as it was a full-blown time warp. He offered up most crowd favorites and a few rarities, all of which were welcomed heartily. And when "My Life" was marred by sound and technology problems early on, the crowd took up for singer-songwriter and belted out the song for him.

Showman that he is, Joel apologized for the glitch with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek. "We are not on tape up here," he laughed. "These are real rock and roll [expletive]-ups!" He then replayed the song from the second verse on to prove it. From there, Joel & Co. tackled some of his biggest hits including "The Entertainer," "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," a note-perfect "New York State of Mind" and "Allentown," as well as spectacular oldies "Everybody Loves You Now," "Vienna" and "Zanzibar." Joel jokingly dedicated "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" to ousted DJ, Don Imus.

This scrappy New Yorker remains astonishingly sharp at the piano, although at times, one could get the sense it's hard for his voice to keep up. He kept the throat spray handy and had to use it a couple of times during the evening; those bold high notes in "An Innocent Man" were just out of reach this time around, so he knocked it down an octave and threw in some Elvis hip shaking for good measure. And when Joel needed to give the old windpipe a rest, he leaned heavily on trumpet/flugelhorn Carl Fischer, sax player Mark Rivera and others in his top-notch band.

Though he didn’t take advantage of his wicked brass section to do "Big Man On Mulberry Street," or offer his new pop single, "All My Life," Joel delivered the goods on "Only The Good Die Young," "Big Shot," "Keeping The Faith," "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me," "You May Be Right" the soaring "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" and "Piano Man," which expectedly closed the show. In all, fun was the mode of the night.

Joel even lent his microphone to longtime roadie Chainsaw, who proceeded to screech his best Bon Scott and Brian Johnson on AC/DC's "Highway To Hell." It was an odd, funny, and a surprising choice to be sure...especially with such a bountiful discography to choose from. One must digress: When you've been at it for nearly 40 years like Joel, you can play "Heart and Soul" on the piano in front of tens of thousands of people if you want to. And, by God, wouldn’t you know that he did exactly that, too.


"'Piano Man' Rocks Albany"
By: John Barry
(April 19th, 2007)

Billy Joel Tuesday night at the Times-Union Center in Albany injected the intimacy of a gin joint into a cavernous hockey arena; folded doo-wop and boogie-woogie into rock and roll; and rattled off jokes between tunes like a borscht belt comic.

But the "Piano Man" also left his pop-star persona behind for a truly transcendental moment with more than 13,000 fans.

Joel closed out a nearly three-hour concert with his signature song "Piano Man."

Following the encores of "Only The Good Die Young" and "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," Joel strapped on his harmonica, caught his breath and ran his fingers up and down the keys of his grand piano. The familiar string of opening notes that Joel has likely played thousands of times, and that his fans have definitely heard thousands of times, somehow sparkled as though it had been written Tuesday afternoon, hours before it was performed in the state capital.

Upon realizing that Joel was playing "Piano Man," the Times-Union Center erupted.

But the magic moment came as the song reached its peak with its chorus, "Sing us a song, you're the 'Piano Man'/Sing us a song tonight/Well we're all in the mood for a melody/And you've got us feeling alright."

Everyone in the arena, it seemed, knew every word to "Piano Man," and everyone sang their hearts out, very likely in the same way they have for years, at weddings, with friends at bars and to pass the time on road trips.

Joel and his band, which included Millbrook resident Tommy Byrnes on guitar, got swallowed up in this throbbing, exploding organism that sang with the thrust of a 13,500-member choir and turned rock music into something religious.

At one point, Joel and his band stopped playing entirely, but the crowd kept singing. The evening at that point evolved beyond a simple rock concert into something so mysterious that those in attendance could possibly still be trying to come up with words to describe it.

Hours earlier, Joel's piano emerged from beneath the stage for the opening tune "Prelude/Angry Young Man." "My Life," a huge hit for Joel, incorporated backup vocals that wove psychedelic strains into doo-wop.

Singing backup vocals all night and playing guitar - acoustic and electric, rhythm and lead ­ was Byrnes, who with equal amounts of ease exchanged smiles with
family members in the front rows and dazzled those in the last rows of the arena's upper level with licks that sizzled and stung.

The best part of Tuesday night's concert was Joel's voice, which has not only weathered his four decades of performing live, but has gotten fuller, richer and
deeper with age. Joel did not just sing his songs. He belted them out, one after the other, proving that there are no cracks in his foundation.

Joel played guitar and grand piano, which rotated periodically to give fans around the arena a view of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member from the front.

"That's it for the special effects," Joel said during one of his many, many jokes, this time after the piano turned around. "The piano goes this way. The piano goes that way."

Joel kept up the routine all night. At one point, he thanked those in the audience for buying tickets to the show.

"I really need the money now, because my car insurance is ridiculous," he quipped, referring to his highly-publicized automobile accidents, which occurred
several years ago on Long Island, where he grew up and still lives.

Speaking to those with seats in the front section of the floor after he addressed those who purchased less expensive tickets, Joel said, "There's about 50,000 pounds of heavy equipment above your head," he said, referring to a massive lighting rig that stretched almost to the center of the arena. "If one of those cables snaps ­ who knows? But anyway, enjoy the show."

Joel was hilarious, but he also revealed a serious side.

He dedicated the song "Summer, Highland Falls" to the victims of this week's shooting at Virginia Tech University, during which 32 people were shot dead by a
gunman. "They say that these are not the best of times/But they're the only times I've ever known" goes the opening line.

Also, Joel spoke about the plight of commercial fisherman on Long Island before launching into a haunting version of "The Downeaster Alexa," a somber, cautionary song.

"There aren't many left out there," he said of those who make their Long Island living on the sea. "You hope for the best."

Byrnes lent a lot of color to this dark song by playing passionate lead guitar lines reminiscent of a seagull's cry and a trawler engine turning over on a cold morning. Next to "Piano Man," "The Downeaster Alexa" was the best song of the night.

A guitar player in a band that features one of the most famous piano players in the world, Byrnes was never lost in the sound mix, but rather was front and center, adding his own, tasty touch to licks that those he was performing for had listened to for years before he joined Joel's band in 1990.

A touching moment occurred when Joel and Byrnes shared a laugh while a road crew member named "Chainsaw" sang lead vocals on AC/DC's "Highway To Hell," as Joel played guitar.

Other highlights of the evening included "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)"; "Everybody Loves You Now"; "The Entertainer," and "Don't Ask Me Why." "New York State of Mind" took on special significance with the state capitol just a 10-minute walk away from the Times-Union Center; and "Zanzibar" showed Joel was adventurous enough to tackle tunes that weren't hits.

Joel showed off his Scott Joplin side when he performed an intricately-constructed original, "Root Beer Rag," though with a funny caveat.

"I hope I don't screw this up," he said, "because there are a million ways I can."

During several songs, including "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" and "Big Shot," the piano descended beneath the stage and Joel worked his mike stand as though it was a tango partner. He twirled and tossed the full-length stand, but he seemed a bit out of place and better suited, more at home and more comfortable while seated on his piano bench, tickling the ivories.

But the crowd loved Joel - whatever he did.

During a rousing version of "Keeping The Faith," a half-dozen people in the very last row of Section 222, directly behind the stage, stood at the top of a stairway and swayed in time with Joel, arms raised, seeming not to care that their view of him on a large video screen was much better than their view of him on stage.

And during "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," nine people at the top of a stairway in Section 239, directly across the arena from the stage, for whom Joel likely seemed very far away, danced as though they were in the first row.

Joel is no longer that punk who peered out from the covers of vinyl records from the 1970s and 1980s.

On Tuesday night in Albany, Joel used a teleprompter and repeatedly rubbed his head, which no longer has the black, wavy hair of a rock star, but is bald.

But Joel is a charmer.

And he perhaps has been such a big star, for so long, because he constantly reminds his fans and himself, as he did Tuesday night in Albany, New York that like many of them, he is just another slob from the suburbs.


"At Last, The 'Piano Man'"
Billy Joel Reunites With Toronto Fans After An Eight-Year Absence...and He Has Still Got It

By: Jane Stevenson
(April 21st, 2007)

The "Piano Man" made his long-awaited return to Toronto last night at the Air Canada Centre.

Billy Joel, who was supposed to play in Toronto with Elton John in 2003 but cancelled because of the SARS outbreak, hasn't actually performed in our city in eight long years.

Suffice to say, the crowd at the ACC was pretty excited about seeing the 57 year-old New Yorker again.

Seated in front of a black piano - which later turned out to have a built-in teleprompter and be on a rotating platform - "You've pretty much seen the special effects," he deadpanned - Joel opened his two-hour and 20-minute show with "Prelude/Angry Young Man," a song that immediately became ironic.

"Good evening Toronto - I'm Billy's dad," joked Joel, swigging from a coffee mug atop his piano after his second tune, "My Life." "Billy wanted to come. He got to the lake, and he saw some dead birds, and he got his ass back to New York. I know I was suppose to come here with Elton in 2003. I was ready to come. It was your health people who said, 'Don't come.' So it's four years later, which is why I look more like Billy's dad."

"I'm not losing my hair. I gaining more head, "he explained. "Hey, I need your money. I've got some ridiculous car insurance."

Joel was referring to crashing his car three times in two years, most recently in 2004, which eventually led to him going to rehab in 2005.

The singer/songwriter/pianist - whose career stretches all the way back to the early '70s - hasn't actually released an album of original material since 1993's "River of Dreams" so his set-list leaned towards early material, and not always hits.

He dredged up "Everybody Loves You Now" from his very first album, 1971's "Cold Spring Harbor."

At one point, he even gave the audience the choice of three tunes and they overwhelmingly chose "Vienna" from 1977's "The Stranger."

That was followed by such crowd-pleasers as "Allentown," "Zanzibar," "New York State of Mind," "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" - this one caused fans to rush the stage where they remained for the rest of the show - "Don't Ask Me Why," "She's Always A Woman," "Keeping The Faith," "The River of Dreams," "We Didn't Start The Fire," "You May Be Right," "Only The Good Die Young," "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," and finally "Piano Man," complete with harmonica.

Joel even paid homage to Canadian singer/songwriter Neil Young, comically attempting the openings of both "Helpless" and "Southern Man."

"We like Neil a lot," said Joel, who was backed by a seven-piece-band, including a two-man horn section that sometimes expanded to three with the addition of a female percussionist-sax player.

Joel even let a veteran roadie named "Chainsaw" take over on vocals for a spirited cover of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell," while he played electric guitar.

More seriously, Joel recalled meeting one of his idols, Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson, after a Maple Leaf Gardens show one night and dedicated a song to him.

Less successful was his attempt to perform away from his piano as he awkwardly stood in front of a microphone to do a cover of "Stand By Me" before launching into his own "An Innocent Man."

Joel redeemed himself towards the end with piano-less, but vital, performances of "Big Shot" and "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me."


"Billy Joel, The 'Surprise Man'"
By: Jamie Sotonoff
(April 24th, 2007)

Fans who came to the Sears Centre Arena Monday night to hear Billy Joel play "Piano Man" would have to wait, because the 57 year-old pop legend had some surprises in store.

Some good, a few not so good.

The best came during the first half of his 2.5 hour, sold-out show, when Joel played a half-dozen rarely performed deep cuts from his lesser known 1970s albums, like "Captain Jack," "Zanzibar," and "The Entertainer." With musical stylings similar to his familiar pop hits, and with his familiar themes of loneliness and life in New York, these songs made it feel like you were listening to fresh, new, enjoyable Billy Joel. His masterful piano playing and solid vocals on these songs, backed up by his 6-piece band, provided a real treat for longtime Joel fans.

The only exception was his 1974 "Root Beer Rag," a rocked-out Scott Joplin-esque tune that had Joel's fingers flying across the keyboard, but was self-indulgent and unappreciated by the crowd, who at this point were wondering if they were ever going to hear his radio hits.

That would come later, of course. But first, The "Piano Man" grabbed a guitar and jammed to a few songs, including the hyper "We Didn't Start The Fire." He went sans instrument for "Big Shot" and "An Innocent Man," a terrific, softly-done version in which he successfully hit the high "I am" note.

In the night's strangest moment, Joel let one of his big-bellied, middle-aged roadies sing a full (and awful) version of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" while he hid in the background playing electric guitar. The crowd ate it up, though.

Joel returned to his piano for the second half of the show and played his greatest hits, prompting a sing-along and dance-along with the mixed-aged audience. To keep it fresh, Joel added a little personality or musicianship to each song, such as making the factory sounds himself in "Allentown" rather than relying on pre-recorded tracks, and doing a piano jam in "The River of Dreams." Near the end of the show, he seemed a little tired and the songs were rushed, but he made sure to finish up with "Piano Man."

Seeing Billy Joel perform live in concert is better than listening to him on the radio because he always adds a personal touch. He talks to the audience a lot about himself and his music, tells self-effacing jokes ("Hi, I'm Billy's Dad," he says after the opening song) and throws in a lot of local references ("I remember being the opening act for the Beach Boys at the Chicago Stadium in 1971.")

Hats off to Joel for being able to perform a highly entertaining show in 2007 that doesn't involve special effects, huge productions or bands, or ill-fated attempts to woo a younger audience with a new sound. Piano or guitar, with Elton John or without, Joel's upbeat pop tunes and love ballads can still charm an audience into a New York state of mind. To hear him play classical or jazz piano in between songs is just an added bonus.

The only unpleasant part of the show didn't involve Joel, but the patience-testing Sears Centre Arena parking. The lesson learned: for a sold-out show, get there at least an hour before show time.


"Joel Pushes Envelope Only at Teller's Window"
By: Bob Gendron
(April 25th, 2007)

Billy Joel hasn't recorded a pop album in nearly 14 years. Of late, he's been more famous for collecting lifetime-achievement awards and making tabloid headlines for personal issues. And while he recently released a one-off single, the 57 year-old has long maintained he isn't interested in composing new pop. Yet the third-most commercially successful solo artist in history continues to roll into arenas, reel off career-spanning sets and rake in ticket sales, a scenario that played out Monday night at a sold-out Sears Centre Arena.

Nostalgia is an obvious explanation for his motivation and appeal, and while that's a major factor, it's not as simple as it appears. Joel's brand of sentimentality differs from that of his contemporaries. Much of his music never sounded young to begin with, and the pianist didn't disguise this onstage, where he draped songs in chintzy keyboard-dominated arrangements that long went the way of other dated '80s relics. Rather than tease with fountain-of-youth fantasies, Joel's performance seemed to suggest that he was fine with growing older.

Hence, "Prelude/Angry Young Man" and "My Life" were proud statements of Joel's unhip persona, a trait he reinforced via self-referential jokes and clichéd gestures. Seated at a piano on a rotating platform, Joel shared stories of his early Chicago stops while spending the bulk of the 130-minute-plus concert in a balladic mood.

Nevermind that his backing septet doubled as bombastic New Age pretenders who couldn't resist any temptation to overcompensate with arena pomp, synthesized schlock and artificial effects. Or that the attempt at jazz on "Zanzibar" couldn't escape its easy-listening elevator confines. And that Joel's falsetto went flat in the midst of "An Innocent Man." However dull, his Broadway-leaning tunes and soft rock spoke to the suburban everyman. The by-the-numbers renditions never flirted with urgency, but then again, Joel has nothing left to prove.

Tellingly, the only unhinged moment occurred when a roadie sang AC/DC's "Highway To Hell," providing a needed spark and bringing the audience to its feet. Too bad Joel missed most of it. After initially strapping on a guitar and awkwardly strumming a few bars, he exited the stage, apparently uncomfortable in any guise but that of a "Piano Man."


"Billy Joel: Scottrade Center"
By: Kevin Johnson
(April 26th, 2007)

One of the great things about a live concert album is that it serves as a keepsake of a special night. But too many times, the live album comes out while the tour is in progress, creating a dilemma for fans.

Not all concertgoers want the show's rundown revealed, preferring surprises. But none of that mattered to Billy Joel's mix of young and old fans Wednesday night at Scottrade Center. Despite the fact that his "12 Gardens Live" double-disc CD, recorded at Madison Square Garden, has been out for nearly a year, more than 17,000 fans turned out to basically see him do what he did on the album. That's love.

"12 Gardens Live" remains the basic blueprint of his show. That's probably how it should be, considering the golden material included, such as "An Innocent Man," "Allentown" and "We Didn't Start The Fire." The two-hour concert, sans an opening act or intermission, showcased the piano man and his pop catalogue.

New material did not have to jockey for a spot in this show. "My Life" and "Everybody Loves You Now" were among the first songs out of the gate, as they are on the album.

"You May Be Right," "Only The Good Die Young" and "Piano Man" helped wrap things up, again like the CD.

But Joel, who seems to still enjoy performing, switched the order of some songs and some additions and subtractions. In a nod to "St. Louie," as he repeatedly pronounced it, he performed the Scott Joplin-esque, rollicking "Root Beer Rag."

Joel introduced a roadie with the improbable name Chainsaw and let him perform. Joel warned this was like "American Idol," and if the crowd didn't like him, he could be booed off. But the crowd was quick to embrace Chainsaw as he barreled through AC/DC's "Highway To Hell."

Joel predictably sported a Cardinals cap for a couple of songs, and joked about his hair loss and ex-wives. He also poked fun at fans in less desirable seats behind the stage, thanking them for attending because he needs the money for car insurance - a reference to his recent series of three auto accidents in a two-year span.