Billy Joel Ends Historic Madison Square Garden Residency – Hollywood Life
For the longest time, Madison Square Garden has felt like house to at least one piano man.
But after his a hundred and fiftieth present on the iconic New York City venue on Thursday evening, Billy Joel concluded his residency practically 50 years after his first present on the Garden and greater than 10 years after it began, in accordance with an announcement by MSG. His first present there was on Dec. 14, 1978.
Joel, 75, kicked off his decade-long residency again in 2014, agreeing to play one present a month for “as long as the demand continues.”
“The demand never stopped,” Dennis Arfa, his agent, stated in a telephone interview.
So an finish was chosen: his a hundred and fiftieth gig on the venue general. In complete, the run grossed greater than $260 million with attendance nearing two million, in accordance with Pollstar.
Congratulations @billyjoel on 150 lifetime exhibits at The Garden! pic.twitter.com/e2pIEjNcwi
— MSG (@TheGarden) July 26, 2024
Joel adopted by way of with that promise and broke his personal document of “most consecutive performances by any artist” along with his thirteenth present at MSG, the venue stated, in January 2015. The second grew to become cemented in Garden historical past with a banner within the venue’s rafters.
He broke one other document — “most lifetime performances by any artist” — that July after his sixty fifth lifetime efficiency, MSG stated. Another banner was raised above MSG in his honor.
Last evening Billy Joel had Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses as a shock visitor at his final present at Madison Square Garden.
They carried out the legendary track “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC. pic.twitter.com/Gd6cU2pdoj
— Rock History (@historyrock_) July 26, 2024
Over the course of his MSG tenure, he has been joined on stage by a mess of shock company, together with Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Tony Bennett, Paul Simon, Olivia Rodrigo, Bon Jovi, John Mayer, Miley Cyrus, amongst others.
This present included an look by Jimmy Fallon, who honored the beaming singer because the banner marking the a hundred and fiftieth live performance was hoisted above the stage. (“You’ve given us all great memories of being here,” he stated. “We’re actually getting to watch you live a memory.”)
A shock performer, the Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose, strutted in a black blazer twinkling with sequins whereas singing his band’s model of ‘Live and Let Die’ and a canopy of AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’; he returned for the finale, becoming a member of Joel on ‘You May Be Right.’
During his “legendary run,” greater than 1.9 million tickets have been bought to followers from all 50 U.S. states and greater than 120 international locations, MSG stated.