Happy new year and welcome to 2014! Or as it will otherwise be known, the year of Billy Joel.
Having recently announced a residency at Madison Square Garden, the Long Islander is set to be a continual presence around town during the next 12 months. That musical reign over the city began with several bangs and a few popped corks on Tuesday night, as Joel rung in the new year with a virtuoso two hour show at Barclays Arena.
“This is the first time I’ve actually played a show in Brooklyn since I was 17,” said the 64-year-old shortly after arriving onstage at 11 p.m. It was a natural cue for Joel to get nostalgic, ramping up his Long Island accent to tell hammy but warm tales of his teenage years and cutting his teeth by playing shows for shifty Hicksville gangsters.
“I didn’t realize who they were until I saw the movie “Goodfellas”,” he joked.
The throwback feel also extended to the early part of the set list which included a slew of rarities and seldom played tracks such as “Until The Night” and “I’ve Loved These Days.” The hardcore Joelites dotted around the sold out crowd sang every word but overall, the deep cuts made for a slightly subdued atmosphere.
But after more than four decades, no one can doubt that Billy knows what he’s doing. Sure enough, the ball dropped at midnight, the ABC television simulcast kicked in and the hits began to flow like champagne. “You May Be Right” and “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” both jolted the mostly 30-plus crowd to their feet and from that point on, the party that had been threatening finally broke out.
The obligatory sing-a-long to “Piano Man” would have proved a fitting end to the night but Joel saved one more gear for the encore. Freed from his rotating grand piano for the first time, he strapped on a guitar for a ripping “We Didn’t Start The Fire” before swinging around his mic stand and shuffling across the front of stage during a spunky performance of “It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me.”
The young Billy Joel being projected on the screens above would have been proud to know he would still be pulling off the same moves after all these years. And there’s no end in sight either. The MSG engagement begins in January and continues monthly until New Yorkers decide that they’re sick of him. Judging by the excitement of the crowd at Barclays, Joel’s homecoming celebration has the potential to last well into 2015. Good to have you back with us, Billy!