Last night we had a religious experience with our idol Billy Joel. We attended a concert of his recent tour and were absolutely blown away. Now, we all know that Billy isn't a spring chicken anymore. In fact his opening line was "Hi, I'm Billy Joel's dad. Billy couldn't make it tonight so he asked me to perform for you." Regardless of his age (58 years young), Billy rocked Key Arena harder than many younger acts could have imagined. His voice was spot on- I mean... spot on. He sounded like he did 30 years ago. Like I said- blown away.
He opened the show with 'Angry Young Man.' What a beginning! He sang a lot of his radio hits: 'Big Shot,' 'My Life,' 'Only the Good Die Young,' 'We Didn't Start the Fire,' and 'New York State of Mind' to name a few. However, intermixed with the hits were some of his more obscure tunes (these were our favorites). 'Zanzibar', 'The Entertainer,' and 'Everybody Loves you Now' . He brought the house down with his instrumental 'Root Beer Rag.' A-Maz-Ing. He graced our presence on the piano (of course), with his vocals, and also guitar. He celebrated his stay in Seattle by playing some of Jimi Hendrix 'Purple Haze.' He, of course, ended with 'Piano Man' as a 3rd encore. The audience sang the entire song. The highlight for us was his performance of 'Innocent Man.' Yes my friends, he hit every note and then some. Something he hasn't been able to do in years. It was unbelievable.
I could go on and on about the phenomenon that is Billy Joel. If you have any opportunity to see him live...DO IT! It was both inspiring and, as an entertainer, humbling.
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2 comments:
I saw Billy Joel years ago (like middle school, I think) and it was amazing! So, yes, I remember he is a pretty friggin-fantasic performer to see live...
I have seen him twice. Once by himself (I was with Marcia Reade from ABRHS) and once with Elton John. Both fantastic shows. He has so many good songs. I was almost brought to tears by the crowd singing and swaying to Piano Man. It didn't matter who your neighbor was in the seat next to you and if you didn't like them for any reason. For that moment, we were all friends. I love music that can do that.
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