More about: Billy Joel

Billy Joel’s Hyde Park showstopper can be defined by his own words from the stage: 

“The bad news is we don’t have anything new to play. But the good news is that you don’t have to listen to songs you don’t know.”

He delivers on this promise, of course. 

This is his only European show of the year, so naturally it’s a stand-up show of his greatest hits. The range that Joel has continues to astound me – he’s 74, which means performing for almost three hours non-stop is no easy feat. Perhaps even more impressive, he gives us a Mick Jagger impression after staunchly informing "don’t get your knickers in a twist, I’m no Mick Jagger." 

It's clear the novelty of touring has grown with age: Joel is no longer considering such serious attitudes towards touring (he famously said in 1999 that his Madison Square Garden show would be ‘his last tour and possibly last concert’) and is able to make cracks at his expense to the audience. At one point he looks to the screen and refers to himself as "old man." The ability to make jokes almost makes you forget he’s one of the best-selling artists, even more as he invites his band to take the front stage and takes a back seat. It’s admirable, this quality of sharing a space with the team that help to provide your concert such a fullness. 

"He’s aware that it takes a village to put on such a show, and brings the talent to front and centre – not just his own."

The best example of this comes towards the end of the gig: he plays ‘the River of Dreams’ and passes the last verse of the song to percussionist Crystal Taliefero, who breaks into a pitch perfect rendition of ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ – straight after which, guitarist Mike Delguidice is revealed to be an opera singer, and performs Puccini’s ‘Nessun Dorma’ beautifully. And just as I think it can’t get better; he brings Joe Jonas on stage to sing ‘Uptown Girl’ and it’s a version I need on streaming services effective immediately. 

This showcasing of others’ talents, I think, proves Joel’s humility in his art. He’s aware that it takes a village to put on such a show, and brings the talent to front and centre – not just his own. 

I think, mostly, performing to a crowd of 65,000, a sold out show in London, with people from all over the world coming to watch, speaks more on Joel’s popularity, brilliance, and showmanship than I could put into words. That being said, seeing him now feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: I’d recommend it to anyone. 

Grab your copy of the Gigwise print magazine here.

More about: Billy Joel