- Billy Joel had a huge night
- He wrapped up his MSG residency
- Some big names joined him too
In an unforgettable night that turned Madison Square Garden into a cauldron of emotions and rock 'n' roll, Billy Joel wrapped up his monumental 10-year residency with a bang on July 25, 2024. Fans experienced a rollercoaster of feelings as Joel, flanked by famous friends and his adorable daughters, delivered a show for the ages.
A Decade of Magic Comes to an End
As the news broke that this would be the final show of his 104-month-long residency, the crowd's boos were met with Joel's heartfelt, "We don't want to leave either, but it's time." Declaring it "the most amazing gig we've ever done," Joel set the tone for an evening that was nothing short of historic.
The surprises kept coming as Jimmy Fallon took the stage to honor Joel's 150 lifetime performances at the venue, a record-breaking feat. But the star wattage didn't stop there! Axl Rose, the iconic Guns N' Roses frontman, joined Joel for a rendition of "Live and Let Die." The duo closed the show with "You May Be Right," leaving fans ecstatic.
Rose also performed AC/DC's "Highway to Hell," which was fitting, considering that he filled in as AC/DC's lead singer in 2016.
Adding to the night's magic, Joel's daughters, Della and Remy, stole the show. While Remy charmed the audience with waves from atop the piano, Della sang her heart out to "My Life," eventually grabbing the mic to shout, "Thank you, Madison Square Garden!" A visibly moved Joel quipped, "I guess it's HER life now!"
Ultimately, Joel’s setlist on this night wasn’t as important as the event, even though the music is nothing less than crucial to the regulars in the crowd swapping attendance numbers and screaming aloud the lyrics of "Big Shot” or "Allentown." It wasn’t like Joel and his band were going to experiment with free jazz or hit on deep cuts from 1971’s "Cold Spring Harbor."
Joel’s greatest accomplishment at Madison Square Garden was that he created a scene — a once-a-month party for the neighbors and friends about whom he rhapsodized in the epically jazzy "New York State of Mind," a song that got the loudest applause at the mention of local papers such as the Daily News and Newsday.
When you can get an arena audience excited about newsprint, you’re (still) really onto something.
Joel stuck to his hits, belting out classics like "Only the Good Die Young" and "We Didn't Start the Fire." The only surprise was "This Is the Time," dedicated to his wife, Alexis, making the night even more special.
Joel welcomed his following to the last night of the MSG residency with a list of his and his band’s live accomplishments. "We were the first group to play at Yankee Stadium. We were the last band to play at Shea Stadium. We played Berlin the night that the Berlin Wall came down. We were the first American full-fledged performance in the Soviet Union."
"And we were the first band to play after Castro came to power, and played Cuba. We played in front of the Coliseum in Rome for a half million people. And the food was great. But out of all of them, this is the best. There’s no place like this," he said.
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As the lights dimmed on Joel's residency, fans left with memories of a night that celebrated music, family, and the end of an era. Billy Joel's farewell to Madison Square Garden wasn't just a concert; it was a historical event that proved once again why he's a true music legend.
