The duo also performed “Live and Let Die” and “Highway to Hell” in Piano Man's final show of his record-breaking career at the iconic venue.
Billy Joel closed out his historic Madison Square Garden run Thursday night with rock legend Axl Rose performing a rousing rendition of Joel's 1980 hit “You May Be Right.”
The duo also gave a stunning performance of Guns N' Roses' “Wings” and AC/DC's “Highway to Hell” to a sold-out crowd.
Rose previously performed the AC/DC song during Joel's 2017 concert at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, while Joel has covered “Highway to Hell” frequently during his shows in recent years, often enlisting fellow sideman Chainsaw to sing lead vocals.
Thursday's concert was the pianist's 150th show at the iconic venue, capping off a record-breaking 10-year residency at MSG. According to the artist's representative, Joel sold more than 1.9 million tickets during his time at the iconic arena.
The monthly residency began on January 14, 2014, and was only suspended due to COVID-19 and a few occasions when medical issues forced delays. At the time, Joel vowed to keep playing “as long as the demand lasts,” — and as the years have gone by, demand has ballooned despite it being 30 years since he released his last and twelfth studio album, River of Dreams.
“I got on stage and said, 'I don't have anything new for you, so we'll just play the old stuff,'” Joel said. rolling stone In 2019. “And the crowd goes, ‘Yes!’ I’ll be sitting in the stadium and looking at 30,000, 40,000, 50,000 people, and I’ll think, ‘What are they all doing here? Why now?’ I think, in a way, I’m from the past. There aren’t many like me left. There’s a scarcity of it, and that gives it value.”
