EP 077 – Concert Classics: Rome, Italy – July 31, 2006

Billy’s return to touring in 2006 included a stop at one of the oldest arenas in the world. The concert was captured for posterity with a beautifully-shot, full-length video available for free online.    On July 31, 2006, Billy and the band, minus a key member, played outdoors at the Coliseum in Rome. It was […]

EP 070 – Concert Classics: Roxy Theatre – Northampton, PA – November 28, 1973

There are make-or-break moments in every successful musician’s career. Sometimes they’re huge, cataclysmic events. Other times, they’re subtle nods that point a performer in the right direction.  For Billy Joel, a pair of shows in November of 1973 was the latter. And, we have the tapes to prove it. Piano Man had just been released, […]

EP 065 – Concert Classics: Live in London, 1984

By 1984, Billy Joel was known for changing styles from album to album. What’s less recognized was how often he changed voices. And, one night that year in England, those voices were all on display.    Close listening to any Billy Joel record reveals a variety of tones, accents, and affectations in the singing. Add […]

EP 057 – Concert Classics: Kirin Dry Gigs ’88 – Tokyo, Japan

With the appearance of the Kirin Dry Gigs from 1988 appearing on YouTube earlier this year, a long-lost footnote in Billy Joel history has finally resurfaced.    This one-off gig in Japan finds Billy performing with just one member of his longtime touring band. They’re joined by players who performed on other tours in the […]

EP 043 – Concert Classics: Thunder Road – Live in Miami, 1977

The fact that a Billy Joel bootleg is named after a Bruce Springsteen song should clue in the listener that this show’s a little different from what you may expect.    Recorded at Maurice Gusman Concert Hall in Miami, FL on October 31, 1977,  Thunder Road isn’t a radical change from the Billy we know. […]

EP 036 – Concert Classics: Live in Houston, 1979

By the end of the seventies, Billy Joel had found success with a formula that blended elements of pop, rock, and jazz around a singer-songwriter frame. And, he was about to turn all that on its side. The Live In Houston 1979 bootleg is proof of it.   The video features Billy and the Lords […]

EP 020 – Concert Classics: Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA, 1974

Date: May 14, 1974 City/State: Boston, MA Venue: Orpheum Theatre Supporting: Jesse Colin Young & Livingston Taylor   The Setlist:  Travelin’ Prayer Somewhere Along The Line Technical Difficulty Blues Piano Man The Entertainer The Ballad of Billy The Kid Worse Comes To Worst Everybody Loves You Now Captain Jack Ain’t No Crime   ——   In less […]

EP 011 – Concert Classics: Live At C.W. Post, 1977

Michael & Jack take their first dip into a classic Billy Joel concert from the past. They discuss the famed C.W. Post College concert recorded in Greenvale, NY on May 6, 1977. This concert was also broadcast live in New York and Philadelphia as Billy and the band tear through some classics and road test two […]

EP 007 – Live Album & Video Retrospective: Live At Shea Stadium

Michael & Jack revisit the historic 2008 Shea Stadium concerts from Flushing, New York in Queens. The Beatles performed the first concert at Shea and New York’s son, Billy Joel, appropriately closed out the stadium with the final two concerts before the Shea’s ultimate demolition. This viewing / listening companion goes song by song through […]

EP 004 – Video Retrospective: Live From Long Island

Michael & Jack present a song by song companion of the 1983 home video concert release Live From Long Island. Having been out of print for some 30+ years now, this concert is a must see and highlights Billy and the band firing on all cylinders as they transition into an arena touring band in the […]