Billy Joel Celebrates 100 Career Shows At Madison Square Garden
Singer-songwriter Billy Joel is about to hit a milestone in his legendary career. The "Piano Man" will mark 100 career shows at Madison Square Garden.
The Giant Milestone
The "New York State of Mind" performer has become one of New York City's most prolific entertainers throughout his lengthy career. While Joel continued to perform at several of the city's signature performance venues such as Radio City Music Hall and the former Shea Stadium, he has found a permanent home at Madison Square Garden.
In 2013, the "Honesty" pianist signed a contract with Madison Square Garden to become the first musician to ever franchise with the multi-purpose venue. Audiences have fallen in love with the residency show, and Mr. Joel sold out Madison Square Garden 53 times during his residency.
Some Memorable Moments
One factor that continues to make audiences come back to Mr. Joel's shows are the surprise guests that the composer sometimes brings out on stage. On Jan. 12, the Grammy winner welcomed iconic rockers Mick Jones and Lou Gramm to perform some of Foreigner's songs with him.
Also, The Voice coach and "Malibu" singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus joined Joel and music icon Paul Simon when they performed "New York State of Mind" at Joel's Sept. 30 show last year. Cyrus was in New York City promoting her latest studio album, Younger Now, and marked the once in a lifetime moment off of her bucket list.
The Traveling Piano Man
While Joel does have performances at Madison Square Garden once a month, "The Entertainer" singer-songwriter is expected to tour around the nation.
Joel will perform at several baseball stadiums including The Philadelphia Phillies' Citizens Bank Park and the Kansas City Royals' Kauffman Stadium. This would mark the first time that a musician performed at the Kauffman Stadium in 39 years.
He is also expected to entertain his fans overseas in the early summer. It has been confirmed that Joel will hold concerts in Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
Back In The Spotlight
Thanks to the high-profile Madison Square Garden concert series, Joel has returned to the spotlight.
He also earned some of the United States' high-profile awards including a Kennedy Center Honor in 2013 and the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2014. He also celebrated longtime friend and collaborator Tony Bennett's 90th birthday by singing "New York State of Mind" with the legendary crooner.
Throughout his career, he accumulated over 33 Top 40 hits and earned six Grammy awards.
Joel will celebrate his 100th career show at Madison Square Garden on July 18.
