NEW YORK, New York, U.S.A. – As a child, I remember dancing around with my parents and siblings to Billy Joel songs.
Joel’s music is one of the only interests that my family and I all have in common. My mom listened to him growing up and was a huge fan – she’s seen him in concert 15 times. So when we heard he would be playing not far away at Madison Square Garden, we all wanted to go. However, there are five of us and concert tickets are very expensive, so my parents told us that as much as they’d like to take us, they couldn’t.
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| Billy Joel official Twitter photo |
But on Christmas Eve, my parents surprised all of us and told us that we were all going to see him on January 9th, which also happened to be my sister’s birthday. We were all overwhelmed with excitement.
When we got to the venue, we sat in our seats for about a half hour and waited for the opening act to come on.
The man who opened for him wasn’t bad, but we all just wanted Billy to come out.
The man who opened for him wasn’t bad, but we all just wanted Billy to come out.
When he finally did, time flew.
The first song he played was “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go out on Broadway.” He also gave the audience a choice between songs a few times, which was fun.
The first song he played was “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go out on Broadway.” He also gave the audience a choice between songs a few times, which was fun.
When he offered “This is the Time” and “Summer, Highland Falls,” “This is the Time” won. However, I can’t complain, as both songs are beautiful. Also, the crowd picked “Zanzibar” over “Big Man on Mulberry Street” and “Blonde Over Blue” over “A Room of Our Own.”
He also played numerous other hits such as “The Entertainer,” “New York State of Mind,” “The Ballad of Billy the Kid” and “Piano Man.”
He played 18 songs total and four songs for the encore including “Big Shot” and “Only the Good Die Young.”
My favorites of the night were “And So It Goes” and “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.” He also sang a snippet of Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” to celebrate the recent anniversary
of the King of Rock and Roll’s birthday. I’m a huge Elvis fan, so I enjoyed that surprise.
of the King of Rock and Roll’s birthday. I’m a huge Elvis fan, so I enjoyed that surprise.
I was really hoping he would sing “The Stranger,” “Vienna” and “All About Soul,” but I’m still happy with the songs he chose to perform.
His voice was still just as amazing as when he recorded each song. It was incredible to see the man who sang some of my favorite childhood songs perform live.
Joel delivered an incredible concert and an unforgettable family experience.
Hannah Amaral is a Junior Reporter for Youth Journalism International.
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