The world has Things have changed immeasurably since Billy Joel began his monthly residency at Madison Square Garden in January 2014. Donald Trump was just the host of an NBC reality show at the time, Jeb Bush had good reason to believe he was the future of the Republican Party, and few people outside the world of virology had ever heard the term “coronavirus.”
But despite all the changes we’ve been through, it was a given (barring illness or a global pandemic) that Billy Joel would perform at Madison Square Garden every month. It was a place where anyone could go to forget about life for a while, and spend an evening with Brenda, Eddie, Mama Lyon, Sergeant O’Reilly, Paul the “real estate novelist,” and Duffy from the Navy.
Joel initially said he would play “as long as there’s demand,” but after 104 sold-out shows and a decade, it’s clear the demand is endless. And after 150 lifetime MSG shows, it seemed like the right time to call it quits. That’s why fans from across America gathered at Madison Square Garden to bid him farewell Thursday night, and why tickets sold for more than $10,000 on the secondary market.
The air was filled with anticipation as the lights dimmed, the familiar sound of “The Natural (The End Title)” began, and everyone rushed to their seats in the aisles. (George Conway and his ex-wife Kellyanne Conway walked together down the center aisle near the stage, proving that Joel’s music can unite anyone.) After starting the evening in typical fashion with “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)” and “Pressure,” Joel faced the crowd and tried to put the residency in some perspective.
“Let me mention some of the things we did,” he said. “We were the first group to play at Yankee Stadium. [in 1990]We were the last band to play at Shea Stadium. [in 2008]We played Berlin the night the Berlin Wall fell. [in 1990, so not quite]We were the first full American show in the Soviet Union. [in 1987]We were the first band to play after Castro came to power, and we played in Cuba. [1979]We played in front of the Colosseum in Rome in front of half a million people. [in 2006]”The food was great. But out of all these restaurants, this is the best. There's no place like it at all.”
Proving that by playing three songs in a row, you’re unlikely to hear much on classic rock radio (“The Entertainer,” “Zanzibar,” “Vienna”), he watched the crowd sing along to every word. At the conclusion of “Vienna,” Jimmy Fallon stormed the stage to present Joel with a sign commemorating his record-breaking 150 shows at MSG. “Congratulations,” Fallon said. “I love you. New York City loves you. The world loves you. You’ve given us all great memories of being here. Now we’re going to watch you get a memory. You’ll never forget this night here.”
After Fallon left, Joel’s two youngest daughters, Della and Remi, came out in matching dresses to join him in a sing-along of “My Life.” Six-year-old Remi sat nervously at the piano, while eight-year-old Della confidently clapped and danced along to the song. Joel was all smiles the entire time, even as he tried in vain to get her to clap to the beat (“On twos and fours, baby.”) Later in the night, he broke out his 1986 heartfelt ballad “This Is the Time” at the request of his wife, Alexis Roderick. As he sang the romantic ballad, screens showed backstage photos of his wife and kids taken over the past decade, showing how the arena has been a second home to them all this time.
They’ve had a number of surprise guests over the years, and Joel’s fans have spent the past few weeks trying to guess who might show up for the big finale. Will his old tour partner Elton John finally make up with them? Will Paul McCartney stop by to replay the ending of Last Play at Shea? Will it actually be possible for Bruce Springsteen to hop on a supersonic jet after playing at London’s Wembley Stadium earlier today and play his last gig?
Not many people expected Axl Rose to be their vocalist, despite having played with Joel in Los Angeles and Minneapolis in 2017. But once “This Is The Time” was over, Joel introduced the Guns N’ Roses frontman to the crowd. He showed up wearing sunglasses and a black sequined tracksuit from Neil Diamond’s closet. He led the band through a stellar rendition of “Live and Let Die” and “Highway to Hell,” and it was clear he loved every second of it.
The final section of the night was familiar to anyone who has seen Joel over the past two decades, but there was a special joy in hearing such hits as “Only The Good Die Young,” “We Didn’t Start The Fire” and “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” knowing we might never experience them in this venue again. The show closed with the sound of breaking glass and “You May Be Right.” Axl Rose returned for this, singing a quick interlude of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.” For a brief moment, it was somehow 1971, 1980, 2024 and all the years in between rolled into one. Without intending to, Joel and Rose had squished six decades of rock music into six minutes. It was a perfect way to end the residency.
To be clear, Joel isn’t retiring. He’ll be heading to Cardiff, England, next month to play a stadium show with Chris Isaak. Over the rest of the year, he’ll be headlining venues across North America with Rod Stewart or Sting. He’s never been a big-name live act, despite turning 75 a few years ago. (If you close your eyes, he still looks 45. The power of his singing voice is an absolute miracle.) Maybe Joel will return to Madison Square Garden someday. And if he feels like sticking around for another decade or so, no one will mind.
