After 10 years of shows, Billy Joel finally ended his monthly residency at Madison Square Garden.
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Almost 19,000 people packed MSG for the Piano Man’s final show, the 104th one he has performed at the iconic venue over the past decade, The New York Times reported.
Other than during the COVID-19 pandemic-forced cancelations, the shows were regularly sold out as he performed his hits from his career. He added his newest song - the first in 20 years - in February.
Variety reported that the residency started in January 2014 and was mostly frequented by people from New York. The most expensive tickets for Thursday’s concert were $10,000 each.
Pollstar said that almost two million people had seen the 75-year-old singer/songwriter over the past 10 years, with the residency grossing more than $260 million.
While 104 may seem like an odd number to call it quits, Thursday night’s show was actually the 150th time he had performed at Madison Square Garden overall.
The lights may have gone down on that stage, but it doesn’t mean that Joel is leaving the spotlight. He’s doing a stadium tour through November, ending on Nov. 9 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas where he will perform with Sting. He will also perform with Rod Stewart at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Sept. 13.
Joel had a few celebrities join him on stage. Jimmy Fallon helped raise a banner marking the 150th show milestone.
Joel also was joined by Axl Rose who sang “Live and Let Die” and “Highway to Hell,” before singing with Joel for “You May Be Right.”
Over the years Joel has welcomed Miley Cyrus, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello and Olivia Rodrigo to the stage for duets.
Celine Dion congratulated Joel for having such a New York City staying power, writing on Instagram, “Congratulations to my long-time friend Billy Joel on closing out your historic 10-year residency today at New York City’s Madison Square Garden (a venue that is also near and dear to my heart),” ABC News reported.
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