The Piano Man has performed his final concert of a historic residency at Madison Square Garden.
There’s a pause before Billy Joel steps onstage each night when he makes the subtle transition from low-key Everyman to world-renowned Piano Man. It’s just a few minutes of “not talking to anybody, not seeing anybody,” he said, mimicking waving off potential distractions. He makes sure he can hit his high notes. Then the roar of the crowd does the rest.
In the video call seven days before the show, he simply said he was “feeling fine” about the gig, tucking a thick circular vape pen between his fingers like a cigar. “I mean, that’s my job,” he said. “This is a good job.”Joel’s straightforward devotion to the craft of songwriting and performing — without the flashy hallmarks associated with music stardom — is part of what’s endeared him to audiences throughout his five-decade career.
“I didn’t really know what the whole thing encompassed,” Joel admitted. “I thought, OK, a residency. So we’ll play, you know, like, a couple of gigs in a row.” The time that’s elapsed between age 65 and 75 has brought new challenges. “The way you hear is different. The way you sing is different,” Joel said. He uses more falsetto — he called it “throwing junk pitches,” like knuckleballs instead of fastballs. “I’m not crying,” he announced onstage in May, explaining a teary eye. “A lot of weird happens when you’re 75.”
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