Billy Joel talks Madison Square Garden concert special on CBS

With his first new song in 17 years, a performance at the Grammy Awards and his final Madison Square Garden residency show coming up in July, Billy Joel has been unusually ubiquitous lately.

Ask him how he feels after this push back into the fire and laugh.

“A little overwhelmed. I’m not used to all the megillah that comes with the release of a new record,” says Joel.

It’s about “Turn the Lights Back On“, the single released in January which was his first to reach the Billboard Hot 100 since 1997.

Along with these achievements, it stretches his record run at Madison Square Gardenwhich began in January 2014 and concluded on July 25.

Although Joel has played in New York history close to 150 times in his six-decade career, his March 28 concert marked the 100^th proof of his residencea stage commemorated on stage with his friends Jerry Seinfeld and Sting.

That all megallah is now known as “Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden,” a two-hour event that will air at 9 pm (ET/PT) on April 14 on CBS.

But even without a monthly appearance at the Garden, Joel still continued to trot around the country, fill sold-out stadiums with his sometimes acid, sometimes introspective, always lively anthems such as “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant”, “Pressure”, “Uptown Girl”, “My Life” and the immortal “Piano Man”.

Joel — laid-back, self-deprecating and quick-witted — spoke with USA TODAY about sing with Stingmaking mistakes and because he really likes his new song.

No longer:Aerosmith Announces Rescheduled Peace Out Farewell Tour: New Concert Dates & Ticket Info

Question: How have you felt these past months with everything going on around you?

Billy Joel: I forgot how much work it is. I do this on a regular basis: Go on the road, come home and write, record the songs, then make the video, promote, yadda, yadda, yadda. I haven’t done it in a long time. It’s head spinning and different from what I remember.

How was your Grammys experience? (Joel performed “Turn the Lights Back On” and “You may be right” to close the awards show.)

It was a unique experience. I wasn’t a candidate, I was just going to play my song and there it was a whole generation of musicians I wanted to meet.

As well as?

Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo – a lot of people I respect. I put it under completely different auspices. I just wanted to stay out.

You filmed the concert for the CBS special in late March. Did sample 100 feel different from the other 99?

Well, yes because there were a lot of cameras on the stage! I Played (Madison Square Garden) since the 70s. The 100 happened to be a round number and it happened to coincide with a Garden show I had already done.

What is your history with Jerry Seinfeld, who was there for the flag raising on your historic night?

He wasn’t aware he was going to be there until the last minute. They said, we’ll have a banner raising thing and Jerry will do it. I said, “Wow, great.” He bought my old house in the Hamptons in 2000. We did a deal, no brokers, just us. He said, “How much?” and I said a number and he said, “OK.” It was really serendipitous. He’s a good guy, a fellow Long Islander. But also, Sting, he bought my apartment in New York City.

I sense a theme here.

I know. All my real estate clients were at the show. It’s like Joel Realty.

You do some stadium dates with Sting, but you also did a lot with Steve Nicks last year and you. have some with Rod Stewart this year, so what made Sting the right person to be part of this show?

I have known him for a long time, since he was in the Police. We became instant friends and I have always admired his music. We respect each other as musicians. It is very easy for me to work with him. It does not require a long testing process. I hate testing. I’m okay with making a mistake. Most of the fun is in the spontaneity of the recovery. He and I have great bands, and if you work with good musicians it makes life a lot easier. I wrote songs with Sting in mind, like “Big Man on Mulberry Street”, what do we do in this show.

I rarely play that song live.

It’s such a high key, but Sting has this wonderful tenor that he’s been able to maintain.

Probably from all his yoga.

Or from that tantric stuff. He can hit those notes and hit them because it’s jazz. It was a lot of fun to do.

You also played (The Police hit) “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” with him on this show and you performed “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” while on tour with Stevie. What do you like about those duets?

I always like to mix it up. God knows how many times I’ve done Billy Joel songs. That’s why I loved touring with Elton. I can playing a lot of Elton John songs. Since we’ve been at the Garden, all kinds of people have fallen – Miley Cyrus, Paul Simon, John Fogerty, Bruce Springsteen, Olivia Rodrigo, it goes on and on. And the gang is having fun.

No longer:‘Eternal symphony of rock’: KISS sells catalog to Swedish company for $300 million: reports

Let’s talk about “Turn the Lights Back On”, especially the video. What did you think when you first approached with, hey, let’s use artificial intelligence to transform into the Billy of the 70s and then the 80s and 90s?

I was open to it. I’m not a big fan of making videos. I don’t like. I didn’t sign up as an actor – I’m a pianist. I’m not comfortable in front of the camera. When I sing, I think I look like Cary Grant and then when I see (the video) I go, oh, that’s me. (co-writer of the song) Freddy Wexler I had the idea, and I thought, I don’t have to be an actor, this is great.

What do you think of the final result?

I liked it. I said, “Hey, I remember that guy!” I don’t know how they do it technically, but it was fascinating. It was kind of an out of body experience, like wow, which was cool.

Was it strange to be back on the charts almost 50 years after you first did it with “Piano Man”?

It’s a completely different world. I don’t know how the charts work. There is streaming, lite rock, AC, AOL, AOR, rock, urban, hits, I don’t know what it is anymore and I don’t follow. But I didn’t hate the song. Back in the day, I would record a song and go back to the control room and hear my voice. I never liked my voice and wanted to sound like someone other than me. I found out that this is how many recording artists think. Everyone is trying to copy Ray Charles or Mick Jagger. But my first reaction to hearing the song was, “I don’t hate it” because my normal way is “Jeez, it’s me.” Now When I Sing (1974) “The Entertainer” (with lyrics) “I won’t be here in another year if I don’t stay in the charts” and “You heard my last record, it was on the radio.” I usually shake my head “no” when I sing those lines. No more.

Billy Joel talks Madison Square Garden concert special on CBS

Related

Leave a Comment Cancel reply