The Piano Man still puts on one hell of a hit-filled show
It’s still just rock and roll for the Piano Man.
Last night in Connecticut, music icon Billy Joel made his triumphant return to Mohegan Sun. The sold-out show marked the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s first appearance at the venue since 2008. Hanging up in the rafters of the arena is a banner that commemorates that occasion, when Billy played 10 sold-out shows, setting a venue record for the New England area. Nearly two decades later in the shadow of that banner, Billy returned to Mohegan Sun and delivered a hit-filled performance that was well worth the wait.
See the setlist and check out our live photo gallery below.
As he strolled on stage to a standing ovation, he kicked things off with one of his biggest hits – the 1977 classic “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song).” It was evident immediately that this was going to be one of those shows where the crowd sings every word of every song. Then, he launched right into the eccentric “Pressure,” which was an underrated Top 20 hit for him. Giving the crowd a second to gather themselves after the glorious two-track intro, Billy took a sip of his tea and addressed the audience.
“So, I got some good news and some bad news.” Audible groans came from the crowd, concerned for what Billy might have to tell them. “I’ll give you the bad news first – I don’t really have a whole lot of new songs, so it’s the same old shit. The good new is you don’t have to sit here and listen to a whole bunch of new shit.”
Next, he introduced perhaps the most underrated gem of his entire catalog.
“This next one is from The Stranger album,” Joel began. “It wasn’t released as single, it was what we call an ‘album track.’ It’s called ‘Vienna.'”
As Billy sang the first few words, the crowd immediately joined in and nearly drowned him out. Just three songs in, “Vienna” would stand as one of the evening’s highlights. That says a lot, considering all that was yet to come.
Billy’s banter continued as he tee’d up the next track – “The Entertainer” – from his 1974 outing Streetlife Serenade.
“This next song is from an album called Streetlife Serenade,” he stated. “And, nobody bought that album.”
In response to some cheers amongst the laughter, he quickly glared into the audience and said with a smirk, “Bullshit, you don’t have that album. Nobody bought that album. Even I don’t have that album.”
As entertaining as he is talented, Joel also made light of the show’s “special effects,” or, lack thereof.
“So, that’s if for the special effects,” he said at one point, referring to his rotating piano on stage. “The piano goes this way, the piano goes that way…big fuckin’ deal.”
Once again, Billy got a big laugh from the fans.
The rest of the night did not disappoint in the least. Billy unleashed a barrage of his and fan favorites, including “An Innocent Man,” “The Downeaster ‘Alexa,'” “Allentown,” “My Life,” “Only the Good Die Young,” and more. Beautiful snippet of the timeless “Amazing Grace” served as a lovely interlude to “The River of Dreams.”
Perhaps the crown jewel of the set was the 1977 opus “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” from his landmark LP The Stranger. Arguably the most grandiose piece in his entire catalog, Joel powers through the 7-minute-plus song with the same combination of grace and intent that he captured on tape nearly 50 years ago. Throughout his career, Joel has mastered the ability to paint pictures and tell stories with his lyrics, and “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” may just be his finest tale.
With that being said, this is where the argument can begin, as Joel followed “Scenes” up with another iconic storyteller – “Piano Man.”
“You know what this is,” he said cheekily to the crowd as he strapped on his harmonica.
After closing things out with “Piano Man,” Billy and his band received yet another standing ovation from the capacity crowd. Knowing all too well that he was nowhere near finished, no one moved from their seats, or even sat back down for that matter. They soon returned to the stage to kick off an epic four-song encore that would see Billy step out from behind the piano for the first time all evening.
He started with his thunderous hit “We Didn’t Start the Fire” from his 1989 outing Storm Front. Never taking his foot off the gas, he rolled right on through “Uptown Girl,” “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” and “Big Shot.” He finally wrapped things up for good with his arena rock anthem, “You May Be Right.”
When you boast a catalog like Billy Joel, there will undoubtedly be one or two tracks that just can make the cut for a single show. Sadly, missing last night were fan favorites like “Just the Way You Are,” “The Ballad of Billy the Kid,” “Shameless,” “Say Goodbye to Hollywood,” “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway,” and “I Go to Extremes.” But, hey – no matter what the setlist looks like, it’s really hard to complain about anything at a Billy Joel show.
In May, Billy Joel will be 76. After seeing him perform last night, he really isn’t showing many signs of slowing down. His voice is still very much there, and he hit the high notes too. When the camera zoomed in on his fingers running up and down the keys, one couldn’t help but just stare in awe at the raw talent. During the encore, he was dancing around the stage and flipping the mic stand up in the air, and spinning it around. True rockstar stuff at 75. You just can’t ask for much more of the guy at this point in his career. He’s still at total badass.
If you looked out into the crowd, there were a lot of young fans who’s parents, and maybe even some grandparents, were taking them to possibly their first Billy Joel show. With more stadium shows on is docket for the summer, we can only hope that Billy decides to keep doing this for many years to come so that this next generation can experience one of the greatest songwriters in music history.
This summer, Billy is teaming up with fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Rod Stewart on Friday, July 18 at the storied Yankee Stadium. On Thursday, August 21, Billy is heading across town to perform with rock legend Sting at Citi Field in Queens, New York. The iconic musicians will each perform their most beloved songs from throughout their illustrious careers. Tickets for both gigs are on sale now.
Billy Joel will be making his first concert appearance at Citi Field after headlining the final two concerts at Shea Stadium in 2008. Sting will also be making his first appearance at Citi Field. As a member of The Police, Sting performed at Shea Stadium on August 18, 1983.
“We’re thrilled to host Billy Joel and Sting at Citi Field this summer as part of our ongoing concert lineup for 2025,” said Mets VP of Events Nikki Romolo. “Throughout Mets history, there’s always been a special connection with Billy Joel and the Mets. From closing Shea Stadium with the two final concerts in 2008, performing the “Star Spangled Banner” before the 2015 World Series, to “Piano Man” echoing throughout Citi Field regularly during games. We’re looking forward to welcoming this native New Yorker home for his first concert at Citi Field.”
Nearly a year ago, Billy Joel released his first piece of new music in nearly two decades. The single, “Turn the Lights Back On,” arrived 17 years after his last song. It was produced by Freddy Wrexler (Celine Dion, Kanye West, Lil Wayne). Stream the official lyric video HERE.
Joel’s latest track “Turn the Lights Back On” is available for streaming, and as a 7-inch vinyl single. Additionally, Billy has curated a special merchandise line for the release. The collection includes several t-shirts, hoodies, crew neck sweatshirts, a beanie, and more.
Billy Joel’s last contemporary album was 1993’s River of Dreams. The record hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200. In 2001, Joel released Fantasies & Delusions, an LP of classical compositions. In February of 2007, Billy released a new song, “All My Life.” He followed it up with the holiday single, “Christmas in Fallujah,” that December.
Last summer, Billy Joel wrapped up his iconic Madison Square Garden residency. The unprecedented run, which launched in December of 2013, concluded on July 25, 2024. The final performance was the 104th of Joel’s residency, and his 150th lifetime performance at the World’s Most Famous Arena.
Billy Joel played his first show at Madison Square Garden on December 14, 1978.
“I’m kind of flabbergasted that it lasted as long as it did,” Joel said at conference at The Garden when the final run of shows was initially announced. “My team tells me that we could continue to sell tickets, but 10 years, 150 shows — all right already!”
“There’s only one thing that’s more New York than Billy Joel, and that’s a Billy Joel concert at MSG,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated. Adams joined Joel and MSG Entertainment CEO James L. Dolan to announce the end of the residency. “Billy Joel’s franchise run has made history — not only for Madison Square Garden, but also for the music industry overall,” Dolan added.
While his residency at The Garden is ending, a representative for Joel confirmed that he is not retiring.
According to Pollstar, Joel’s MSG residency has seen him perform for nearly 1.7 million people through 89 shows. The run has sold $207 million in tickets. By the time the final show rolls around, the residency will have grossed over $250 million.
Throughout his run at The Garden, Joel brought out several special guests to perform with him including Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennett, John Mellencamp, Foreigner’s Mick Jones and Lou Gramm, John Fogerty, AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, and Aerosmith, among others.
