WOW! I'm a huge Billy Joel fan and I loved all the other concerts of his I saw (first in 1990, most recent in 2001 with Elton John in the Face to Face tour). Due to my previous Billy Joel concert experience, I prepared my husband (who had never seen Billy Joel live, but enjoyed Movin' Out with his music) for a show that was similar to Tori Amos' shows, but with a bit more backup and fewer pianos.
I couldn't have been more wrong. Billy Joel has really stepped up the performance since the Face to Face tours with Elton John. Perhaps Elton John convinced him that a bit more flash would make the concerts more interesting and not subtract from the music in any way. Not sure what caused the change, but it was totally amazing! It's not like Billy Joel had tons of moving sets and fire jugglers like Madonna does, but the show was really amazing.
The My Lives tour (same name as the new compilation album he's promoting, which I still need to buy) is wonderful! I hope you have tickets if you're a Billy Joel fan. I'm sure those who drove up to San Diego for his only southern California performance were very glad that they did.
As with many of the shows, the piano came up from beneath the stage. Unlike all the other Billy Joel concerts I'd seen, the piano also went back down during the concert, the piano spun back and forth so that some songs were with his back to us, some with him facing us,... There were two keyboards set up on the back runway by those behind the stage that Billy Joel could manually turn around to face different directions, he got to play guitar for a few songs, since he had a keyboard guy with 3-4 keyboards and someone even played his piano for one song. For one song (Big Shot) he just had a backwards baseball on and acted tough while his band took care of all the backup.
The lighting was very well done, though some of it (as with many concerts) blinded us. We had great seats, too (premiere level, not too far back from the stage). We were amazed at how close we were to the stage and we go to Staples Center all the time for Kings games - we know it very well.
I even got to hear Billy Joel sing Zanzibar live, which I didn't think I would. Many in the audience took this (his 4th song or so) opportunity to go get a drink or stop at the rest room. I was surprised at how many people left during Zanzibar! Sure, it was only on his 52nd Street album, so many people in the audience had never heard it before, but it's a good song. Not his best, but I don't really think Piano Man is his best either...
During Goodnight Saigon, a group of actual US military went up on stage (on the back catwalk). Seeing them there made the song even more powerful. I almost cried with all the 9/11 and other images it brought back. This was the first time I'd seen this song performed live since 9/11. Although it's always been a great song and has always touched me, it was definitely stronger with those serving our country on stage and the thoughts of NYC - especially since Billy Joel is from NYC.
I was very pleasantly surprised when Billy Joel sang Scenes from an Italian Restaurant as the second song in his encore. I figured once he left the stage the first time I wouldn't get to hear it. And, of course, he finished with Piano Man as he has every time I saw him. As soon as the harmonica comes out on that contraption that allows him to play it and the piano at the same time, most of the audience figures it out.
The stories were also great in this show. Not that they weren't good normally, but perhaps I associate myself more with his travels now, since I not only know where he started (NYC - Long Island) very well, but I know the Hollywood/Malibu area pretty well now that I've been living in southern California for almost 10 years. It was funny to hear him talk about playing clubs like the Troubador in West Hollywood and other places I've been. It still blows my mind that he could fit his crowd into a place as small as the Troubador at one time. I've never seen him in anywhere smaller than a very large amphitheater.
If you've already seen Billy Joel in concert, you should REALLY think about going to see him again if you can get to him on this tour (or any future tours if he does tour again). He's still got that amazing voice and he's more entertaining than ever. Of course, it goes without saying that I think you need to go see Billy Joel if you've never seen him in concert. He puts on a better show than ever and the shows were always great! Catch him in concert if you can! Since he took such a long break from touring, I never know when he's going to totally give up touring and always hope there will be another concert for us to see him perform!
Grade: A
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:25 PM show | 0 screams