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

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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. But, there’s a big focus on a part of live act that never quite made it onto official records.

It’s his skill at impersonating other musicians — both their playing and their personalities — that shine at this show. 

This recording also captures a curious moment in Billy’s career. It’s at the beginning of the Stranger tour, just before the record broke wide open and made Billy a household name.

The show is more streamlined than recordings from a few years prior, but not quite as realized as his performances would be in just a few more months. It also features a temporary lineup with a short-lived guitar player. 

Join us as we dive deep into a show from Billy Joel on the eve of superstardom.

Date: October 31, 1977
City/State: Miami, FL
Venue: Maurice Gusman Concert Hall

The band:

  • Billy Joel – Vocals, Piano, Keyboards
  • Liberty DeVitto – Drums
  • Doug Stegmeyer – Bass, Vocals
  • Richie Cannata – Saxophone, Flute, Keyboards, Accordion, Vocals
  • Frank Vento – Guitar

The Setlist:

  1. The Stranger
  2. Somewhere Along The Line
  3. Summer, Highland Falls
  4. Piano Man
  5. Thunder Road
  6. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
  7. Travelin’ Prayer
  8. Let ‘Em In
  9. Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
  10. Still Crazy After All These Years
  11. Just The Way You Are
  12. Prelude / Angry Young Man
  13. New York State Of Mind
  14. The Entertainer
  15. Vienna
  16. Root Beer Rag
  17. You Are So Beautiful
  18. She’s Always A Woman
  19. I’ve Loved These Days
  20. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway
  21. The Ballad Of Billy The Kid
  22. Captain Jack
  23. Say Goodbye To Hollywood
  24. Only The Good Die Young
  25. Get It Right The First Time
  26. Weekend Song

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