With decades of songs to choose from, the 73-year-old delivers signature dead-pan banter among and hit after hit to a willing, sold-out crowd.
There’s still a lot in the world to worry about, but nights like this make it all feel a little more bearable for just a little while. An encore includes the tongue-twisting We Didn’t Start the Fire and a duet of Uptown Girl with opening act Tina Arena. Otherwise, it’s hit after hit over two and a half hours: My Life, The Entertainer, Vienna, She’s Always a Woman, New York State of Mind. He’s brought his family on tour, too – his two young daughters, aged 7 and 5, come out to look shyly out at the enormous crowd. The 73-year-old jokes about the “good news and bad news”: that he hasn’t recorded anything new in close to 30 years, so we’re going to hear “the same shit you heard last time”. Tonight, the banter is all scripted but it feels genuine, and so does he.
MUSIC Billy Joel Melbourne Cricket Ground, December 10. The straight-shooting guy from the Bronx gave us the good news/ bad news gag up front.
He wasn’t letting the smooch factor overwhelm the real-life subtext of Just the Way You Are either. But even the high notes he warned us about in An Innocent Man managed to ring with gusto above his eight-piece band. Tickets to the state government-sponsored Australian exclusive disappeared fast in June, when music gatherings of this size were still a slightly surreal prospect.
After 'My Life,' Joel is settled at the piano, and being brutally honest with the crowd, he confesses that he has not released any new material since 1993.
The classy ode to the big apple, New York State Of Mind, is a sentimental favourite and one of the evening's many highlights. He is a consummate entertainer who has crafted a fine body of work that has been engineered to have the broadest possible appeal. But Joel aims to entertain, especially when he later tells us that he didn’t expect to be singing An Innocent Man in his seventies and that he might not be able to hit the high notes like he used to, but to the crowd’s joy, he does. Arena is a class act and dressed in the purest shade of white; she cuts an elegant and dignified figure. Reflecting on the roller coaster ride of the past few years, Arena reveals she used the downtime to record an album of new material and treats fans to the unreleased tune and future hit House. After 'My Life,' Joel is settled at the piano, and being brutally honest with the crowd, he confesses that he has not released any new material since 1993.
There were no crickets at the MCG this week. Just thunderous applause. Billy Joel opened his one-off Melbourne show with a message for his fans.
This was Billy’s only Australian show evening up the score from when his last Australian show was for Sydney only in 2013. This show treated Melbourne to its own night of Billy Broadway.Billy Joel at the MCG 10 December 2022 photo by Bron Robinson With Always Live, the Victorian Labor Government is showing that music can be every much an economic boost as sport. This was a show a long time in the making. The good news is I haven’t put out anything new since 1993, so basically you’re gonna hear the same shit you heard last time.” “The bad news is I haven’t put out anything new since 1993, so basically you’re gonna hear the same shit you heard last time.
One night only! Billy Joel makes racy joke on stage at special Melbourne concert as he belts out heartfelt renditions of his classic hits. By Jimmy Briggs For ...
Billy could not wipe the smile off his face as he performed his only concert in Australia this year and left the crowd screaming for an encore All eyes were on the Uptown Girl hitmaker as he performed his best loved songs from his fifty plus years in the industry. He could not wipe the smile off his face as he performed his only concert in Australia this year and left the crowd screaming for an encore.
Hollywood actor Guy Pearce was also seen sitting in the crowd wearing a black T-shirt along with his oval eye-glasses. Meanwhile, hitmaker Kylie Minogue was ...
Molly, 79, who has battled ill-health for years, looked in good spirits as he strolled with a pal to the concert. Billy Joel is pictured at the MCG on Saturday Molly Meldrum appears in good spirits as he enjoys a rare public outing at Billy Joel's special Melbourne concert - with Hollywood star Guy Pearce also in the crowd at the one-off gig
The Beatles inspired everyone, Billy Joel was no different. In fact, he took inspiration from Abbey Road for the song he calls his own personal favourite.
Speaking about this The Stranger classic, Joel proclaimed it to be the number one Billy Joel song in his entire discography. Now the cacophony of clamouring restaurant scenes was formed. As fate would have it, he was in opera town in a restaurant set up to service the patrons. “I had always admired the B-side of Abbey Road,” Joel told USA Today regarding the iconic medley that wraps up The Beatles classic, “which was essentially a bunch of songs strung together by [producer] George Martin. He gazed around at yuppie kids who had sadly had to succumb to seats a few tiers cheaper than the royal box and a restaurant that was equally restrained from opulence. [Billy Joel](https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/tags/billy-joel/) was sat at the Fontana di Trevi restaurant in New York City across from Carnegie Hall.
How very Melbourne! A packed tram headed to the Billy Joel concert at the MCG on Saturday burst into song. Christine was one of them and filmed it all.