To be fair, the album predates Joel's phenomenally successful solo career as a singer/songwriter. Attila is the name of the album and the band, composed of Joel, who played organ, and his buddy Jon Small, who played drums.

Joel never was a darling among most critics, even in his heyday in the '70s and '80s. But Attila was another matter entirely. Check out this excerpt from the AllMusic.com review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine:

Many critics, fans, and college students have spent hours debating the serious question of what the worst album in the history of rock actually is. One listen to Attila would provide them with a definitive answer.

Attila undoubtedly is the worst album released in the history of rock and roll - hell, the history of recorded music itself. There have been many bad ideas in rock, but none match the colossal stupidity of Attila.

There's a reason why they're the only heavy rock organ-and-drums duo in the history of rock and roll - it's an atrocious combination.

By the end of the album, it feels as if a drill has punctured the center of your skull - it's that piercing, painful, and monotonous.

Which means that if it came out today, yours truly would be stuck reviewing it for the Times.

We won't get into the album cover, which featured the diminutive Joel, long-haired and bearded, wearing a Hun outfit and standing in a meat locker. (All right, so I guess we just did get into it. Whoops.)

But, hey, young artists can make sizeable missteps. And give Joel credit: He freely acknowledges how awful Attila was on its first - and, not coincidentally, last - album.

Among his comments about the band's performances was this winner:

This has been a good time to be a Billy Joel fan in South Florida.

First, there's "Movin' Out," that terrific narrative dance Broadway show based on his songs, now playing Broward Center for the Performing Arts through January 15th, 2006. Next, a six-night run at Miami Beach's Jackie Gleason on January 24th, 2006.

Saturday evening Joel, who has also bought property in Miami Beach, opened the first of two standing-room-only concerts at Sunrise's Your-Name-Here Arena to an adoring audience.

(It's the BankAtlantic Center but given how often the venue adopts a new corporate handle at this rate who knows if that will be its name when Joel performs his second show there January 15th, 2006).

For "Movin' Out," choreographer Twyla Tharp brought together two dozen Joel classics to fashion a Vietnam-era tale. In concert Joel, 56, gathers his old songs, too, but it's hard to figure for what purpose. He has no new CD to promote. In fact, he famously retired from writing pop songs, penning his last one at the age of 43, all of which makes lines he wrote for 1983's "Keeping The Faith" seem prescient and damning.

"...If it seems like I've been lost in let's remember / If you think I'm feeling older and missing my younger days / Oh, then you should have known me much better / 'Cause my past is something that never got in my way..."

Except, of course, Joel's past is in his way and it's what he's celebrating on this tour. Yet his voice is in sturdy shape; his hard-driving band, always top-notch, remains so, and this time included a fine horn section, enlivening tunes like "Big Man On Mulberry Street," "Zanzibar," and "New York State of Mind."

Few pop stars have built such a reliable catalogue and time hasn't dulled the pleasures of most of these songs. We still hope Virginia shakes the shackles of her Catholic upbringing and dallies with the singer. We feel the pain of the unemployed in "Allentown." We're glad Joel doesn't bow to political correctness and keeps the lyrics of 1978's slicing "Stiletto" intact.

Joel also seems engaged by his music and thankfully isn't reduced to offering rote versions of his hit singles the way his sometimes touring mate, Elton John, has been guilty of on recent tours.

Joel may be playing the "let's remember" game but he earns major points for bravado on this tour by studiously avoiding his hits, opting instead for album tracks from deep within his catalog. "I don't know if I'll remember some of these songs," he warned. For more than an hour, after opening with the Top 40 "Piano Man," Joel sang nary a major hit single. From "Glass Houses" the casual fan might expect the smashes "You May Be Right" and "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me." Instead, he delivered "All For Leyna," "Sometimes A Fantasy" and "Sleeping With The Television On." Joel even dug out obscurities such as "Laura," "The Great Wall of China," and "The Night Is Still Young," prefacing the latter with the hopeful, "I hope we don't fuck this up."

He didn't. This was a show for the real fan and no doubt many others will complain the radio favorites were missing, but, c'mon, haven't you heard "My Life" enough in your life?

Opening night of this tour wasn't without its bugs, however. The lighting director clearly irritated Joel by seldom shining the spotlight on the drummer, whom Joel needed to see for his song's intros. Instead, blinding white lights were aimed squarely into the audience's eyes, which made watching large parts of this concert akin to driving while the idiot behind you has his brights on.
Joel may also want to fold in a few hits into the set's first 75-minutes - just a few would do - to keep everyone's attention. "Where's The Orchestra?" may be a bit too obscure.

The video monitors, in center hall, were not adequate for everyone to see what was happening on stage. And given that Joel must remain seated since he's the pianist, someone will always be staring at his backside. At least he had a good sense of humor. "Sorry you're seeing the back of my head," he said to one side of the arena, rubbing his now balding head, "but nowadays you can see yourself in it."

Conceding that 1990s MTV probably wouldn't have much use for a paunchy, middle-aged tunesmith, Billy Joel wisely capped a sturdy 20-year chart run by announcing more than a decade ago that he was done with hit-radio, record-label politics - and big tours.

While he's kept his promise in the studio (choosing instead to dabble in classical compositions, give college master classes and oversee "Movin' Out," the Broadway interpretation of his story-songs), arenas continue to be an occasional lure - both on his own and with sometime touring partner Elton John.

On his first solo tour in seven years, Joel quickly makes clear that he's not interested in a mere recital of the hits. While the tour ostensibly supports his new Sony boxed set "My Lives," there is, of course, no new material to promote, leaving him to stretch artistically via his extensive catalogue of album tracks.

Although rarely heard today, songs such as "Stiletto" and "Zanzibar" from "52nd Street" and "Everybody Loves You Now" from "Cold Spring Harbor" certainly hold up and are likely well-known to most fans given that many played these albums from beginning to end all through high school and college.

Although one particular album segment of this show is probably a little too long - and truly obscure cuts like 1993's "The Great Wall of China" should be jettisoned - in general Joel's act plays very much as it did 30 years ago. The stark set, the 'round-the-back ramp (on which he no longer sprints but now shuffles), the veteran bandmates, the saloon-style patter, the affordable ticket prices (about $39.00-$80.00) - are all comfortable reminders of a different era in popular music.

While Joel no longer does handstands off his grand piano, he does exert himself. During the underrated 1990 confection "I Go To Extremes," he kicked over his chair, turned around and hit the piano keys with his backside. He picked up his guitar (something he doesn't do often enough) for a crisp "We Didn't Start The Fire." And hits such as "Piano Man," "New York State of Mind," "Movin' Out," "You May Be Right" and "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)" were freshened with a robust delivery that belied their familiarity.

Just as Paul McCartney and Elton John now adopt a professorial tone onstage, Joel too tells short tales before and after songs that create a context and intimacy rarely found at a 20,000-seat sell-out. In fact, his fans continue to prove exceedingly loyal. This is a tour that's selling like mad, with multiple dates in most markets despite almost no publicity.

Although opening night tech glitches were plentiful, all were handled with inevitable light-hearted banter, something that lately seems to be a trend among veteran artists eager to illustrate just how un-perfect, un-computerized and unscripted their shows can be.

Billy Joel pulled it out in the end, like his beloved Yankees trying to salvage a season.

Halfway through the launch of his latest tour - his first as a solo headliner in nearly seven years - here at the BankAtlantic Center Saturday night, it wasn't exactly a sure thing.

Joel opened strong with "Piano Man" and grand versions of "Allentown" and "New York State of Mind" quickly followed. But the early inclusion of "Everybody Loves You Now," a nugget from 1971's "Cold Spring Harbor," and a Beatles-esque take on "Laura" from 1982's "The Nylon Curtain" suggested that he was easing the crowd into a different kind of Billy Joel show - one that supported his recent "My Lives" boxed set, which collected rare tracks and demos from throughout his career.

But that didn't come close to preparing them for the show's huh?-inducing mid-section: "Stiletto," "Zanzibar," "Great Wall of China," "All For Leyna," "Sometimes A Fantasy," "Sleeping With The Television On," "The Night Is Still Young," "Big Man On Mulberry Street," and "Where's The Orchestra?"

Granted, it's a boon for many fans to see these songs - especially the lovely "Where's The Orchestra?" - performed for the first time. And it's quite daring for Joel to go that long without throwing in one of his best-known hits. Unfortunately, it didn't work and it seems Joel could tell, since he "called an audible" on stage to let the band and crew know he was moving the rocker "Sometimes A Fantasy" up in the set.

There's little to complain about the songs individually, since Joel's voice and his first-rate backing band were as strong as ever. But taken together, they slowed the pace too much and erased the momentum generated by the start.

It's all part of the process of building a new tour - along with getting the lighting cues right so that Joel could see drummer Chuck Burgi to know when the songs started. Rest assured, Joel fans, by the time he arrives at Madison Square Garden on January 23rd, 2006, for the first of - at last count - nine concerts through March 2nd, 2006, this will, no doubt, be fixed by a couple of substitutions.

Starting with "Keeping The Faith," Joel began building the energy level again, before finishing the set with a powerful quartet of rockers - "I Go To Extremes," "We Didn't Start The Fire," "Big Shot," and "You May Be Right." All four benefited from some new harmony arrangements that showcase Crystal Taliefero's vocals more and get some heft from guitarist Tommy Burns, bassist Andy Cichon and saxophonist Mark Rivera.

No longer the "Angry Young Man" but a grey, assured and fiery one, Billy Joel, in his first solo tour in eight years, is proving that he still knows his way around rock and roll. Especially for a retired guy.

Next phase, new wave, Broadway-pop, cinematic epics, sped-rapped history lessons: Joel has brought many things to many people over his three-plus decades, though he insists he's sticking by the "retirement" from writing and recording pop music that he announced following 1993's "River of Dreams."

To that end, this early stop on the "Piano Man"'s first outing in almost a decade sans Elton John found Joel packing all that he could into an almost two-and-a-half hour show. That included throwing light on some of the cobwebbier corners of his vast catalogue (as he did in boxed set form on last fall's "My Lives") in addition to showing that he still knows precisely what to do when his regular crowd shuffles in.

Joel's Jacksonville, Florida show (only the second on a fast-selling tour that already includes ten shows at Madison Square Garden) amounted to a full-on victory lap. It was a also a chance to set the tour's ground rules; early in the 24-song set, Joel threatened experimentation, and that's what he did (introducing "The Great Wall of China" from 1993's "River of Dreams," he cracked, "If you have to go to the bathroom, you should probably go now, because this is really obscure.") Like Springsteen and McCartney on their most recent outings, Joel's plan of attack-ack-ack-ack-ack involved more than simply handing out hits (notably absent from the set were "Uptown Girl," "She's Always A Woman" and, God bless him, "Just The Way You Are"); he was there in search of long-buried treasure.

Such excavation spanned the first chapters of the show. After the one-two punch of "Prelude/Angry Young Man" and "My Life," both big, baroque set pieces which successfully survived the trip from the '70s (even if those whitewall tires haven't), Joel began rifling around. He dug up the theatrically sinister "Stiletto," whose serpentine groove was augmented nicely by Mark Rivera's sax work and the band's intimidating-looking finger snaps. Introducing the jazzbo "Zanzibar," he remarked that after cutting the song in the studio he and his band "felt like adults." "Sometimes A Fantasy" dripped with gooey synthesizer; "Sleeping With The Television On" worked up a solid, guitar-fueled lather.

But if Joel used the early half of the night for rummaging and evaluation ("That one worked!" he smiled to his band after 1971's "Everybody Loves You Now"), the late half was reserved for a rock block: "I Go To Extremes," "We Didn't Start The Fire," "Big Shot" and "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me," the latter two of which he delivered sporting a backwards ball cap thrown on stage, which was a nice touch. Closing the main set: an ageless and roaring "You May Be Right." Saved for the encore: "Only The Good Die Young," "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" and that one about getting his fans feeling alright.

Despite what he indicated in a few age-related gags (those seated behind his rotating piano at any given time, he said, could "check themselves out in the back of my head"), Joel looked fit and sounded better. He dished up a sterling "New York State of Mind" with timeless ease and unleashed "Goodnight Saigon" to even better effect. One can't help but think that after a few more installments of this quick-selling trek, Joel may want to rethink that business about retirement. He's already survived the noble fight, and there's little doubt left that he - and his fans - remain in the mood for his melodies.

It's 7pm on a Tuesday. The regular crowd shuffles in.

Actually, though the crowd for Billy Joel's concert at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena is certainly larger than that found at most piano bars, it's hardly regular.

The Jacksonville, Florida stop was only the second on his first solo tour in eight years, but if early ticket sales are any indication, plenty of folks are still in the mood for his melodies. Demand has been impressively high across the country - he's up to nine shows at Madison Square Garden this year - and Jacksonville was no exception.

Tammy and Tony Rael, both of Jacksonville, went the traditional route, buying tickets in person at the Orange Park Mall. As both are longtime fans - "she's the 'Uptown Girl,' I'm the 'Piano Man,'" Tony Rael said. He waited in line "for a good 90 minutes" for tickets the day they went on sale. "And I wasn't close to the front of the line. How can an old guy sell out that fast?" he wondered, laughing.

Aging rock stars can often be selfish bores in concert. Clinging to delusions of relevance, they routinely stuff their setlists with forgettable "new stuff" - lackluster songs that usually amount to nothing more than the perfect time for a bathroom break.

That certainly wasn't the case with Billy Joel at the St. Pete Times Forum on Thursday. After all, the 56 year-old Long Island legend hasn't recorded any new pop songs in more than a decade. So alas, the only thing he could do was tizzy 19,750 fans with more than two hours of beloved album cuts ("Zanzibar," "The Ballad of "The Ballad of Billy The Kid," "All For Leyna"), know-'em-by-hearters ("My Life," "New York State of Mind," "Big Shot") and one more chance to wave Brenda and Eddie goodbye (we'll get to that swooner in just a bit).

Of course, there was room for worry when the pop-eyed "Piano Man" took to the open oval stage with his eight-piece band. Joel has filled his free time over the past few years with all manner of tabloid naughtiness, from headline-making car crashes to a recent stint in rehab for a dependence on wine.

But Joel's newfound sobriety has given him extra oomph. In fact, you could even say the guy was downright cocky. Joel, looking trim and happy in a black jacket and blue jeans, took a seat behind his black baby grand to the triumphant strains of Randy Newman's orchestral theme for "The Natural." Then, for his first song, he displayed absolutely furious fingerwork on swaggering burner "Prelude/Angry Young Man," pounding away on the ivories and routinely blowing on his blazing digits as if they were too dang hot.

Joel is touring behind a new boxed set, "My Lives," that is filled with demos and rarities and plenty of must-have evidence that he truly was one of the great pop songwriters of his time. His live show proved the same. Some of the night's biggest applause was heard for the shoulda-been-hits, including the apocalyptic beauty of "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)." Joel's later-career catalogue has always left me bored, and although he tried to put energy into "The River of Dreams" and "I Go To Extremes," those songs paled in comparison to such gems as "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" and "Stiletto."

But no matter. Playing right into longtime fans' hearts, he packed his 24-song setlist with his stellar work from the '70s and '80s, and good lord, he sure wasn't churning out many duds back in the good ol' days. "You May Be Right" remains a ferociously infectious love song, as Joel the buffoon blames a woman for making him act the fool. And it's still absolutely impossible not to move - or, at the very least, feel like robbing a bank - on "Only The Good Die Young," which he hammered out during his encore. Just before saying goodnight, Joel played the two tunes that have made him a hero to all of us who've heard the words "Last call!" far too many times. "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" is his epic, of course, and a perfect display of popmanship that still makes you feel so forlorn for wayward lovers Brenda and Eddie. (And yes, they all waved.)

And finally there was "Piano Man," for which the crowd stood and swayed. Joel even cut the music for the final chorus, allowing his fans to be heard loud and clear. It didn't seem cheesy, to tell you the truth. And let me just say to the cynics: Even if you're sick of the song, you couldn't help but recite aloud those words that will be forever etched in your brain - whether you like it or not.

Billy Joel's wife reveals his dirty secret: he doesn't like dirt. Katie Lee Joel, who's a chef, says she cooks at home and Joel follows her around cleaning things up. She says he's a "clean freak" and she tries to keep him out of the kitchen when she's cooking. Joel says they both really like food and her husband is her guinea pig for whatever she's trying to make. The peach cobbler is a success. Joel says that's a favorite dish but she can only make it in the summer.

Katie Lee Joel will host the competition show "Top Chef," which premieres on Bravo on March 8th, 2006.

Billy Joel's second show Sunday night at the BankAtlantic Center in Broward, Florida was everything his January 7th, 2006 tour-kickoff wasn't - a rollicking, rocking roundup of the "Piano Man"'s greatest hits.
He knocked 'em out from almost every album. From his opener, "Prelude/Angry Young Man," to the close with "Piano Man," he had the standing-room-only crowd in Sunrise, Florida, well, standing.

Along the way: "The Ballad of Billy The Kid," "New York State of Mind," You May Be Right," "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me," "We Didn't Start The Fire," "The River of Dreams," "My Life," "Pressure," "I Go To Extremes," "Only The Good Die Young," "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" and more.

Joel, who owns a home in Miami Beach, took a somber moment to lament the brutal baseball bat beating and murder last week of homeless men in Fort Lauderdale, Florida before launching into a version of "Allentown," mentioning that he was homeless once himself. ''There by the grace of God go I,'' he said.

He's been a "Piano Man," an "Innocent Man," and a "Stranger." A crooner, a rock and roller and a classical composer. He's seen the lights go out on Broadway, said goodbye to Hollywood and sailed on the "River of Dreams." And this week Billy Joel emerges from semi-retirement for the first of three shows at the TD Banknorth Garden.

It's been 12 years since Joel released an album of pop material, but the pride of Long Island has lived enough lives to earn a little vacation - for proof, look no further than his recent "My Lives" boxed set.

In honor of his Hub shows - Thursday, January 30th, 2006 and February 4th, 2006 - we take a look at some of Joel's many lives - evidence, perhaps, that he does go to extremes.

Boxer Billy

"Lost a lot of fights, but it taught me how to lose okay" (from "Keeping The Faith")

Before taking to crooning tunes Joel was an amateur pugilist. Despite the above lyric, in his brief boxing career Joel won the majority of his 26 fights, though he visibly lost when it came to the rearrangement of his nose.

Professor Billy

"Should I try to be a straight 'A' student?” (from "It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me")

For more than 20 years, Joel has visited college campuses and given freewheeling "Master Classes" in which he discusses his creative process, the music business and just about anything he's asked. Although he never went in for higher education himself, he has several honorary degrees, including one from Berklee College of Music.

Composer Billy

"A Minor Variation"

In 2001, eight years after hanging up his rock and roll songwriting shoes, Joel released "Fantasies & Delusions," the first - and to date only - recording of his classical compositions, played by Richard Joo. Herald critic TJ Medrek declared, "No classical music lover need feel ashamed to add it to his or her collection."

Kidstuff Billy

"The Ballad of Billy The Kid"

Joel has always had a soft spot for the kids. In 1988, he was the voice of the canine Dodger in the animated Disney feature "Oliver & Company." He's since written two children's books; the most recent, "New York State of Mind," was released in November 2005.

Collabo Billy

"You might've heard I run with a dangerous crowd" (from "Only The Good Die Young")

Joel has done duets with an eclectic list of famous names including Ray Charles, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Winwood and Tony Bennett. But his most famous pal is fellow "Piano Man" Elton John, with whom he has embarked on numerous boffo joint tours.

Reckless Billy

"And you told me not to drive" (from "You May Be Right")

Sadly, Joel has also had his share of tabloid moments in the past few years, including several suspicious car accidents, culminating in his March 2005 rehab stint in the Betty Ford clinic.

Broadway Billy

"I found you could dance and still look tough" (from "Keeping The Faith")

In his most successful non-rock project, Joel collaborated with legendary choreographer Twyla Tharp on the 2002 musical/dance piece "Movin' Out." The show was a box-office hit, won two Tony awards and garnered widespread critical acclaim.

Sailor Billy

"I have charted a course to the Vineyard" (from "The Downeaster 'Alexa'")

A lifelong love affair with the sea and sailing made its way into Joel's music, in songs such as "Storm Front" and "The Downeaster 'Alexa'." But no landlubber, Joel has also been designing, building and captaining ships for more than 20 years. He''s also a passionate advocate for Long Island fishermen and calls his publishing company Maritime Music.

Rock Star Billy

Billy Joel has added a record-breaking 11th show at Madison Square Garden - on April 19th, 2006 - to his current tour and may extend the run even further, as the dates, which start Monday, now stretch into April 2006.

Recording artist Billy Joel has accepted an invitation to be the commencement speaker for Syracuse University and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry's 2006 graduating class. The graduation ceremony will take place May 14th, 2006 in the Carrier Dome.

Billy Joel's rewritten his own theme song.

The piano will still sound like a carnival, but the microphone won't smell like a beer. New York's beloved balladeer, who spent a month at the Betty Ford Center for alcohol abuse last year, will be bone dry when he kicks off the first of a record-breaking 11 shows at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.

Billy Joel may have given up writing pop songs more than a decade ago, but in concert the "Piano Man" is most assuredly "Keeping The Faith."

Last night, in the first of three shows at TD Banknorth Garden, Joel and his top-notch band took a stroll through the 56 year-old's multiplatinum catalog. Joel visited both the toppermost of the poppermost and the less brightly lit neighborhoods of his repertoire for a set-list that was surprising, energetic and impeccably paced. And the no-frills stage set put the focus squarely on the music. (Although video screens would've been appreciated for those at the back of the sold-out arena.)

He began the night with the furious fleet-fingering of "Prelude/Angry Young Man" and never looked back. Of the hits, which there were many in the epic but fast-moving two-hour and 20-minute show, "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" had estimable swagger, "Allentown" chugged efficiently and "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" reflected Joel's new sobriety as he offered up a glass of ginger-ale along with the usual wine list.

But the detours were most intriguing. The combo of Steely Dan cool, Tin Pan Alley charm and blazing fluegelhorn was a highlight in "Zanzibar," as were the Eltonian symphonic scope and cowboy charms of "The Ballad of Billy The Kid." A quick and dirty work-up of "In The Midnight Hour" was a fitting tribute to soul man Wilson Pickett, who passed away yesterday.

The night's strangest left turn was the liberal dip into the underrated 1980 album "Glass Houses." Not only did Joel do hits like barn-burning rocker "You May Be Right," he also unashamedly embraced deep cuts like "Sometimes A Fantasy" and the wheedling, vaguely Latin organ licks of "Sleeping With The Television On" were a kicky treat.

They also provided the show's oddest segue as Joel went the ridiculous/sublime route by transitioning to the still-poignant and angry "Goodnight Saigon," complete with the customary cadre of veterans providing backing vocals. Joel let the still-resonant images of fear and senselessness speak for themselves, editorializing only by flashing the peace sign.

There were a few stumbles, including some piercing guitar feedback, muffed lyrics and general tentativeness during "The Night Is Still Young." The careening history lesson that is "We Didn't Start The Fire" hasn’t aged well, "New York State of Mind" has a whiff of Vegas hamminess that clings to it and let's just say Twyla didn't share any moves with Joel, whose shimmying during "Big Shot" was endearingly awkward.

But what was good about the show was so emphatically good - and Joel was seemingly in such good spirits - that the few bumps were barely noticeable. Especially not to the crowd of 17,647 heartily singing "Piano Man" at the night's end, indeed feeling all right.

Billy Joel hasn't put out any new music in 13 years, but he has been practicing piano. The 56 year-old singer/songwriter kicked off his sold-out Madison Square Garden show last night, the first of three Boston dates, as the human jackhammer, nailing the intro to ''Prelude/Angry Young Man," in near-ridiculous rapid fire, chops-heavy band in tow.

Two-and-a-half hours of mostly greatest hits followed, amiably curated by the artist - who supplied vintages, album titles, and brief commentary along the lines of a helpful docent.

''The Ballad of Billy The Kid," we learned, is historically inaccurate. ''The Great Wall of China" was written when he was angry with his ex-manager. And so on. Joel isn't the most charismatic of showmen; he invited fans seated behind the stage to check their make-up on the back of his head. But at his best, he's a fine tunesmith, and even if big-money saloon songs aren't your bag, there's no arguing with ''New York State of Mind" and ''Piano Man." They just work, and Joel and his excellent, old-school sidemen (and woman) played them with all the sentimental gusto they deserved.

There were, not surprisingly, few surprises. A couple of obscure tracks made the set-list - among them ''Everybody Loves You Now," a folk-rocker from 1971's ''Cold Spring Harbor" that, Joel noted, he used to sing at the late great Paul's Mall. The evening was devoted to crowd-pleasers, and the crowd was pleased to hear ''Stiletto," which featured the most acoustically-pristine finger-snapping in memory, ''Zanzibar," with its sleek double-time flugelhorn break, and snappy ''Allentown," during which Joel trotted out his impressive arsenal of man-made factory noises.

That nearly all of the 26 songs have stood the test of time was testament to Joel's often underrated stature as a pop-radio classicist. That ''Just The Way You Are" was excluded from the set was testament to his good taste. Glaring exceptions - performed back-to-back - were ''Sometimes A Fantasy," a dreadful ditty that evoked Pat Benatar in a '50s mood, and ''Sleeping With The Television On," another tinny rocker that strained toward a vaguely distant and unappealing past.

Redemption arrived shortly in the form of a throat-shredding, soul-saturated ''In The Midnight Hour" sung in tribute to Wilson Pickett, who died yesterday.

Despite his milquetoast image, Joel is a political man. ''Goodnight Saigon," a solid sweeping ballad and a moving portrait of war, was ornamented onstage with four actual swaying veterans, arms linked under ghostly lights. And while ''We Didn't Start The Fire" won't advance Joel's guitar-god credentials, it did get fists and blood pumping in preparation for the grand-slam, high-octane (relatively speaking) finale: ''Big Shot," ''It's Still Rock and Roll To Me," ''You May Be Right," ''Only The Good Die Young," ''Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," and ''Piano Man."

On the eve of a record-breaking 11-show run at Madison Square Garden, it's clear neither the passing years nor changing fashions have dimmed Billy Joel's star.

It's (nearly) 9 o'clock on a Saturday. The regular crowd shuffles in.

Thousands of Billy Joel fans - many of whom have seen the "Piano Man" play numerous times - pack the BankAtlantic Center here in the suburbs of Fort Lauderdale, Florida for opening night of his latest tour, ready for him to play them a memory or two, ready to "La lala deedee da, lala deedee da, da dum."

Joel, however, has a different idea. This time out, he wants to make some new memories, for his fans and for himself.

The "Piano Man" will be pounding the ivories Monday, but not pounding the vino.

That's the assurance that the now-dry Billy Joel has provided to the Daily News of New York on the eve of his record-setting 11 sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden (beating the monster 10 sell-outs of none other than the Boss, Bruce Springsteen). A stint at Betty Ford last year led to Joel's new drydom (a 2002 rehab took only for a time).

Just don't ask the hard-livin' 56 year-old to become a reformed mouthpiece for the wonders of the sober life. He's been there before, done that, then stumbled back under the influence of the grape.

Tickets for the "Piano Man" singer's record-setting 11th show at the world-famous venue go on sale today (January 21st, 2006) and if they sell-out, as expected, he'll consider adding a 12th night.

Joel's longtime agent Dennis Arfa says, "We'll see what the demand is. Today will tell us how far we can go."

If Joel's 11th Madison Square Garden show is a sell-out, he'll break Bruce Springsteen's 10-show record, set in 2000.

The New Yorker is fed up of being seen as an moral advisor since drying out, as he is still keen to maintain his "rock and roll" persona.

He tells The New York Daily News, "There was a time in my life when I was drinking too much, and so I have stopped. It's an interesting concept. 'Just don't drink.' Hmm! I never thought of that!"

An hour into a conversation with Billy Joel, the pop-star who has lately been as famous for bad driving as big hits suddenly brightened - as if he had an epiphany.

Maybe it was relaxing in the warm sun, dockside at a Miami Beach bungalow, or his recent newlywed status. But something inspired Joel - an artist better known for being tortured by regret, smothered by fame and driven to recapture past glories - to suddenly say, "Contentment is really underrated because it sounds like you're settling. But it's given short shrift, and it shouldn't be. Contentment is appreciating that everything is OK."

How's that for a change? Billy Joel comfortable in his own skin.

The 56 year-old icon of everyman pop spoke easily about not making a pop record in more than a decade (and not wanting to), about his membership in the "Worst Celebrity Drivers' Club" and about whether he wants to stop drinking.

And despite admitting "I was a better singer 20 years ago," tomorrow night the "Piano Man" embarks on what will likely be a record-setting, 11-night string of sold-out concerts at Madison Square Garden, eclipsing the 10-show mark set by Bruce Springsteen.

New York Post: Did you set out to beat Springsteen's Garden record with these shows?

Billy Joel: No, I wasn't out to kick anybody's butt - it's not a competition, and I don't work that way. The reason we're doing all these shows is to defeat the scalpers. The more shows we add, the more steam we take out of their ticket prices.

New York Post: With 11 shows, your hard-core fans will probably see you multiple times. Will your set-list change?

Billy Joel: We're going to rotate the set from night to night. We've been working on lots of songs we haven't done in a long time - lots of album cuts. This show is as much for the audiences as for us.

New York Post: You could do probably do "Piano Man" in your sleep. But do the rarities challenge you?

Billy Joel: Oh, yeah. We spent a lot of time at rehearsals relearning songs I haven't done since the '70s. Like "Everybody Loves You Now" from "Cold Spring Harbor."

New York Post: Do you have the same affection for obscure song as you do for big hits?

Billy Joel: I always like the songs that weren't hits. They're like my kids who didn't grow up to become doctors and lawyers. These are the songs that need more attention, more love.

New York Post: Wealthy, semi-retired rock star. Is that an accurate description of you?

Billy Joel: Yeah. The other day I was wondering where I was at in my life. I'm filthy and I'm rich, but I'm not filthy rich. (Laughs) Am I retired? Not really, playing all these concerts. But I never said I wasn't going to play - I said I wouldn't do long tours. And I never said I was going to retire. I stopped writing pop music and rock and roll back in '93, after the "River of Dreams" album.

New York Post: Why did you stop?

Billy Joel: I felt like I had my say. I've had more say than most people. I wanted to do new things to keep my own interests going.

New York Post: Like your classical album, "Fantasies & Delusions?"

Billy Joel: That was a labor of love. I never expected anything except my own personal gratification. That's why I called it "Fantasies & Delusions."

New York Post: Sorry it didn't work out.

Billy Joel: I'm not bitching. This is the best job I ever had. I recommend it for everybody. But my intention was always to be a composer. Being a rock star was pure serendipity.

New York Post: So you never took the rock-star stuff too seriously?

Billy Joel: I look in the mirror and think I don't look like a rock star. I talked about this with Bono, and we looked at each other and decided we look like a pair of bricklayers.

New York Post: A lot of people say you walked away at the top of your game.

Billy Joel: Honestly, I thought I was better live, 20 years ago. I looked the part then. I had a lot more hair, I was skinnier, and I was able to hang upside down from speaker cables. I was able to do a lot of crazy stuff I can't do now. I was more of a fireball performer.

New York Post: Could you do another pop album?

Billy Joel: Sure, but it would be dishonest. Why would I do it if I really didn't want to? For money? Because I might have another hit? Those aren't good reasons. I need love and passion to motivate me.

New York Post: What did you learn about your music when it was adapted for the Broadway show "Movin' Out"?

Billy Joel: That my music was danceable. For a long time I thought my material was static. There is a lot of counterpoint in my music, there's lots of syncopation, half time, double time. All that isn't obvious, but [choreographer] Twyla [Tharp] picked up on all that.

New York Post: Did you think that concept could work?

Billy Joel: Its success shocked the hell out of me. What appealed to me was its potential as a major catastrophe. I liked that risk.

New York Post: You risked marriage for the third time a few months ago with Kate Lee. How's that working?

Billy Joel: Life is great. I'm really happily married, and she's a wonderful girl. She just got a gig hosting a Bravo TV show called "Top Chef" that airs in March. I'm proud for her and we're really happy.

New York Post: Is part of that happiness being sober?

Billy Joel: I'm not going on a soapbox about it. I don't know much about sobriety, but I do know a lot about drinking.

New York Post: Are you an alcoholic, or did you just like to drink?

Billy Joel: I didn't know, but at this point I'd say I am an alcoholic. But I'm not sure about what anybody tells me, especially after the way they brainwash you in rehab.

New York Post: It seems like you're always in rehab.

Billy Joel: I've only been in rehab once - last year, it was a 30-day program. I tried to go a few years ago, but the press found out about it and there were reporters all over the grounds. They couldn't do any of their programs with their other clients. I had to leave because we couldn't get anything done.

New York Post: Are you happy you went last year?

Billy Joel: Yeah, I needed a cold splash of water in the face. The basic premise of rehab is: Don't drink.

New York Post: Before rehab, did you ever quit for a week or two to see if you could?

Billy Joel: The concept "don't drink" never occurred to me.

New York Post: Now that you don't drink anymore, are you driving or driven?

Billy Joel: None of my car accidents were drinking-related.

New York Post: I didn't say they were.

Billy Joel: I'm not the only person in the world who's had accidents. They were just bad luck. The first one I was avoiding hitting a deer, the second one was an icy road, and the third happened on a rainy road - I skidded and tapped a guy's house. Before that, I never had accidents.

New York Post: Not that it would be an accident, but would you ever have more kids?

Billy Joel: Oh sure, why not. Picasso was popping 'em out in his 80s.

Who Knew? Joel Gems

Billy Joel's driving record was almost spotless until his flurry of auto accidents. "Back in '82, I didn't crack up my motorcycle - a car ran into me. Any motorcyclist will tell you the same thing: They didn't have an accident, they were given one. The guy ran a red light and hit me." Joel sustained serious injuries to both hands, delaying recording of his album "The Nylon Curtain" for two months.

The title of Joel's last rock album, 1993's "River of Dreams," was an acknowledgment of his songwriting process. Back in the early '80s Joel told music journalist Joe Smith, "I think I've dreamed all the songs I've written. I don't dream regular dreams. I dream stories. I dream in abstractions. I've awakened at 4:30 in the morning with a whole symphony in my head."

While Joel is an icon in pop and rock, his classical album "Fantasies & Delusions" was less than successful. In the world of symphonic music, Alexander Joel - famed Austrian classical conductor and Billy's half-brother - is better known.

Joel doesn't just make music. The Long Island native has always had a passion for boating and has developed a successful business building 38-foot runabouts. "So far [the Long Island Boat Company] has sold 40 boats," Joel says. "When we started, I never imagined having this kind of production run, because it's a mom-and-pop business."

The "River of Dreams" hitmaker is already a father to 20 year-old Alexa Ray Joel, from his marriage to model Christie Brinkley, but he wants more children with TV chef Lee, 24.

He tells The New York Daily News, "One kid would be lonely, wouldn't it?"

With Billy Joel set to begin his record-breaking run of 11 sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden tonight, he is also ready to stop being tabloid fodder, putting rehab and those much-publicized Long Island car accidents behind him.

With a new sense of urgency and a crafty bit of pacing, Billy Joel has built a new tour that should make him the envy of veteran touring artists everywhere.

He has managed to give his fans something different without giving them anything new.

Though it has been nearly 13 years since Joel released a new pop song, he has rediscovered some of his older material and has been playing it with a renewed fervor.

And at last night's show at Madison Square Garden, the first of a record-breaking 11 nights, a sold-out run that now stretches into April, Joel showed he has gotten the mix just right.

It's a balancing act that all veteran artists face. With so many hits and so many memorable songs, they all can't possibly fit in one set. Never mind that some of those songs have grown tired or others make you sick - fans want to hear them.

Joel says the current tour, his first as a solo headliner in nearly seven years, is a test run of sorts, a way to gauge fan interest in a concert that features lesser-known songs that he and his band enjoy playing, instead of featuring only his greatest hits.

Judging from crowd reaction, his new set is going to pass the test. The rarities in the list continue to get better, especially the pairing of the sly, funky "Stiletto" and the jazzy "Zanzibar." The combination of the strutting rocker "The Great Wall of China" and the new-wavish "All For Leyna" worked as well.

Joel says he is trying to balance his love of the rarities with his desire to please the bulk of his fans and to create a good concert experience.

Unlike the opening night of his tour in Sunrise, Florida, earlier this month, Joel's concert last night had a better pace, mixing the familiar with the rare, the upbeat with the ballads.

This time out, you were never too far from a hit - two songs at the most. And once you passed the midway point, it was nothing but classics, from "Keeping The Faith" through "Piano Man," once again the final encore.

Among Joel's tributes to the Hudson River Line, Oyster Bay bartenders, and women and ex-managers who have wronged him, he covered "In The Midnight Hour," a tribute to the great Wilson Pickett, who died of a heart attack on Thursday.

He hasn't put out an album of new pop songs in more than 12 years. And he swears he'll never record one again. But for the crowd that packed Madison Square Garden for Billy Joel's opening show last night, all that probably counted as a plus.

That's not only because fans tend to come for songs they know. It's because Joel built much of his career on lyrics that stoke nostalgia and comfort to begin with. If Joel has always saddled those lyrics with somany cliches and routine observations it hurts, his melodies achieve a bliss that can't help but make you hum along.

No doubt, the singability of Joel's songs - welded to his every-schmo lyrics and persona - are what have just helped him sell out more shows in a single run at the Garden than any star in history. Beating Springsteen's record of 10, Joel will play no fewer than 11 concerts at the Garden over the next three months, as part of his first solo tour in eight years.

He made just one reference to this triumph. Joel thanked fans for "buying all the tickets," while hoping they didn't get any from "those bastard" scalpers.

Joel's patter maintained that mix of affability and attitude. Physically, he may not have strutted like before: A revolving stage helped the piano move so he didn't have to. But he made up for it through the chunky muscularity of his playing. And, at 56, his voice sounded supple.

Though Joel could have played all hits in this 2-and-a-half-hour show, he broke them up with obscurities, like 1972's "Everybody Loves You Now," and also-rans, like "Stiletto."

Joel kept stressing the age of the songs, reeling off the year each was released, the better to prove their durability. But it's the fluidity of the tunes that commanded respect.

The range of genres he straddled also bears mention. Joel went from soul ("An Innocent Man") to saloon songs ("New York State of Mind") to Steely Dan-style jazz ("Zanzibar").

As usual, Joel's sentimentality could, at times, lapse into the maudlin, as in the self-glorifying "Goodnight Saigon." And in listening to these 26 numbers, one couldn't fail to miss his drawback as a lyricist. While Joel centers on a fascinating subject - ordinary people in everyday situations - he often blandly exploits their experiences rather than elevating them with insight. Writers like Springsteen dazzle by doing just the opposite.

No matter how far the content of his music lags behind its form, however, last night's show made one thing clear about Joel's legacy: He has tunes to burn.

For the vast majority of people walking this earth, and the grounds of this university, brilliant ideas do not strike everyday. Which is why, when sophomore television radio and film and marketing major David Shapiro was struck by just such an idea at lunch on Thursday, I was inspired to write this column and share it with you all.

Shapiro was glancing at a copy of The Daily Orange that happened to be on our table when the story announcing that Billy Joel would be the commencement speaker for the 2006 graduating class caught his eye.

Shapiro then recalled the $320,000 Joel gave to Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts in September, which the school will use to create Billy Joel Fellowships in music composition, according to The Daily Orange.

When he likewise remembered that Joel will be giving a concert at the Carrier Dome on March 25th, 2006 as a part of the Dome's 25th anniversary celebration, Shapiro proclaimed, in a moment of clarity, "We should rename this place Billy Joel University."

The brilliant idea came a moment later, however, when Shapiro coupled this sentiment with a way of solving our mascot woes by saying, "We should at least be called the Syracuse Billy Joels."

Once I regained my composure, I realized that Shapiro was actually on to something. The Syracuse Orange is, after all, lacking a certain luster that mascots that aren't, say, fruits or colors, have.

And so the brainstorming began. My contribution, which I believe was the best of all proposals, was that we be called the Syracuse Piano Men, in homage to Joel's outrageously popular song of the same name. The mascot could be a single ivory key. Or, to prevent any issues over political correctness, there could be two mascots, a male and female key.

Billy Joel may be dredging up songs from the attic to perform during his stint at Madison Square Garden, but his loyal fans are singing the same old tune.

When it's all over, he'll have set a Garden record, Billy Joel played the first of 11 sold-out gigs at Madison Square Garden Monday night.

The previous record holder of sell-outs at the Garden was Bruce Springsteen, who played 10 straight shows in 2000.

This is Billy Joel's first solo tour in almost 7 years. Although he's not playing any new songs, he says he'll bring back some that haven't been played live in a while.

It has been a long time since Billy Joel was a young punk, but he opened his Monday night concert at Madison Square Garden with "Prelude/Angry Young Man." The song, 30 years-old, is mainly a portrait of its title character, who lives "with his foot in his mouth and his heart in his hand."

But at one point, Joel jumps to an older, perhaps wiser point of view. "I believe I've passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage/I found that just surviving was a noble fight," he sings.

The 56 year-old Long Island native arrived at the Garden - for the first of the 11 shows he will present there, through April - as an icon, not an upstart. After being a constant presence on the pop charts from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s, he has essentially taken himself out of the pop sweepstakes. He hasn't released a collection of new songs since 1993's "River of Dreams"; his last album, 2005's "My Lives," was a boxed set dominated by old demos, live tracks, studio outtakes, and other rarities.

His mission on Monday was to turn the rock star's version of "just surviving" - playing past hits and vintage album tracks - into a noble fight. He succeeded only occasionally in the show's first half, but was in top form during the second half, leading his sharp band through driving versions of songs like "I Go To Extremes," "You May Be Right," "Only The Good Die Young," and the epic "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant."

Several of his Top 10 hits ("Tell Her About It," "A Matter of Trust," "Uptown Girl," "Just The Way You Are") were left off the set-list. But you hardly noticed, since he played so many other ultra-familiar tunes.

Billy Joel, who is now in the midst of his first major solo tour since the late '90s, continues to dole out dates for the run, the latest of which is set in Washington, DC.

Set for April 14th, 2006, the show is the second scheduled visit to Washington, DC on Joel's current outing; the first takes place March 16th, 2006. Tickets for the new show will hit the box office Saturday (January 28th, 2006), according to organizers.
Joel has been dishing out dates for the run in drips and drabs, and has knit together a leisurely itinerary that largely comprises non-consecutive, multi-night runs throughout the Northeast. Since launching the trek 10 days ago, he has performed only three shows, the most recent of which took place Monday (January 23rd, 2006) on the native New Yorker's home turf. That show was the first of 11 scheduled shows set at Madison Square Garden.

Last week, Joel knocked off the first of three planned Boston, Massachusetts concerts. He also has four shows lined up in Hartford, CT, and five shows in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the fifth of which is set for March 30th, 2006 and, according to tour promoter Live Nation, will be his final engagement in the City of Brotherly Love during this tour.

Joel's outing in part supports "My Lives," a box set that Columbia Records issued last November. The four-disc collection chronicles Joel's career "from his early '60s Long Island bar bands through his biggest hits to his most recent classical compositions," according to a press release. The set includes demos, live cuts, alternate takes, covers and more.

During the second of his eleven-date run at Madison Square Garden last night, Billy Joel didn't just repeat his previous show. The veteran performer juggled his repertoire a bit, avoided a couple of hits (no "Uptown Girl," no "The Longest Time") and frequently stepped out from behind his piano to entertain the crowd.

Among the show's more memorable moments:

Gutsiest Song Choice: The 56 year-old rocker opened with "Prelude/Angry Young Man."

Funniest Patter: Speaking to the rows behind him, Joel tried to joke about his baldness but instead made a double entendre: "I know you're getting the back of my head. These days, there's a lot more head to get... I didn't mean it that way."

Hometown Shout-Out: On "New York State of Mind," which nods to two famous Manhattan newspapers, Joel changed the lyrics: "The New York Post/Newsday, too."

Tribute Time: "Zanzibar" walked a fine line between saluting Steely Dan and simply stealing from the group. Joel even sang through his nose a la Donald Fagen and played a cascading piano solo straight out of "Aja."

Who Needs Hands?: Near the end of "I Go To Extremes," Joel played a rumbling glissando down the keyboard - with his rump.

Best Moves: During "Big Shot," the singer donned a ball cap thrown on stage and delivered his lines almost like a rapper, striking B-boy poses and making broad arm gestures. He also performed several fancy tricks with his mic stand that would make a baton-twirler jealous.

"Idol" Moment: At the end of "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me," Joel thrust the mic randomly into the audience and let one lucky guy sing the last line. Unfortunately, he made William Hung sound like Tony Bennett.

Poignant Ending: As the final song, "Piano Man," drew to a close, the crowd sang the loudest it had all night: "'Cause he knows that it's me they've been coming to see/To forget about life for a while."

He's "Keeping The Faith" - again.

A 12th Billy Joel show has been added at Madison Square Garden for April 24th, 2006, which - the record books will attest - shows he's truly a "Big Shot." Reports from the first two Garden concerts paint Joel as a playful showman, working to get the right mix of favorites and rarities, rockers, and ballads. The first 11 shows sold-out.

Billy Joel has returned to the concert stage in explosive fashion, highlighted by a historic run at New York's famed Madison Square Garden.

As of January 21st, 2006, Joel had sold-out 11 Garden shows, breaking the record of 10 set by Bruce Springsteen in 2000. Joel's run of shows began January 23rd, 2006 and now it seems the "Piano Man" will add a 12th show to the stand.

Artists Group International president Dennis Arfa has been Joel's agent for 30 years and knew demand would be high for the artist's first solo tour since 1998. But this high?

Billy Joel has added a West Village home to his huge real estate portfolio. The Post's Braden Keil reports that Joel, who already has places in the Hamptons, Centre Island, TriBeCa, and Miami Beach, just closed on a sprawling townhouse on Perry Street for $5.9 million. The three-story brick residence features a double-size living room, a full-floor bedroom suite, and a lap pool out back. The seller was sculptor/Band-Aid heir Seward Johnson, who first listed the mansion for $6.7 million. Joel and his young bride, Katie Lee, are selling their TriBeCa loft for $5 million, about $1 million more than they paid last year.