Inside Billy Joel’s 100th Madison Square Garden Concert Event

at 74, Billy Joel he knows what makes an incredible show – and he made sure to give the concerts he attended his The 100: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden it shows the experience of a lifetime.

The special live concert on CBS on Sunday, April 14th was shot at Joel’s record 100th consecutive performance at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on March 28th. After selling out every one of their concerts at the famous venue, the five-time Grammy winner – who also sold out Madison Square Garden more than any other artist – greeted a roaring, packed crowd and opened the show with “Miami 2017”, followed by “My Life”.

“We’ve played a lot of bigger venues. We’ve played similar arenas, but this is the Garden,” Joel told the audience at one point. “The first time I came here when I was a boy. I think I was about 4, 5 years old. My parents took me to the circus and the star that year was Gene Autry. He had a great success with ‘Rudolph the Red -. Reindeer of Nasu.'”

A view of the crowd at Billy Joel: The 100 – Live at Madison Square Garden.

Michael Crowe/CBS


Audience members were given a light-up bracelet – an item that was found under their seats – to wear during the show. It instantly lights up the room with various bright colors during the concert run, which began at approximately 8:20 pm ET and concluded around 11 pm ET.

After his first two songs, Joel brought out his first special guest of the night: Jerry Seinfeld!

After taking the stage, the 69-year-old comedian took a moment to rave about the singer and his fellow Long Islander’s many talents.

“Billy invited me to come tonight because it’s a special night for him. He’s been doing this residency for a long time,” the Seinfeld alum began. “It’s really the thing that touches me, to put the most beautiful medallion on this magnificent career that he had.”

Seinfeld believes there are “three things that make Billy a musical genius”, citing his “voice, the music”. [and] writing the most beautiful songs.” However, “there’s something else about Billy that makes him so unique and so special,” the actor said.

Billy Joel performs during CBS presents Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden.

Michael Crowe/CBS


“He captured how we all feel living in this particular part of the world,” Seinfeld explained. “The partner we spent all our lives with… His music is our best friend. I just hope he can understand how much his music means to us.”

Seinfeld added, “We, tonight, are going to commemorate the cent!”

From there, Joel started playing his 1977 hit “Vienna”. At one point, Joel noted that “as you age, your voice gets deeper.” He then asked the concertgoers for forgiveness in advance as he could no longer hit the high notes in “An Innocent Man”.

“Wish me luck! Let’s see what happens,” he added. “I’m curious, myself.”

Continuing to make his way through the night’s setlist, he eventually brought out his final guest of the night: Sting!

When the 72-year-old British crooner took the stage, the couple duetted Joel’s 1986 track “Big Man on Mulberry Street.” Concluded by singing a beloved song by Sting’s band, the policetitled “Everything She Does Is Magic.”

After Sting left the stage, Joel returned to his music catalog, starting with “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song).” Other major hits that followed included “New York State of Mind.”

Sting and Billy Joel perform in concert at Raymond James Stadium in February 2024 in Tampa.

Myrna M. Suarez/Getty


Breaking things up a bit, longtime Billy Joel Band touring partner Crystal Taliefero gave the music legend a much needed break as she hit center stage to perform Ike & Tina TurnerThe 1966 hit “River Deep – Mountain High”, before Joel’s “The River of Dreams”. Billy Joel Bandmate Mike DelGuidice then performed Giacomo Puccini’s opera piece “Nessun dorma”.

Then Joel performed “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” and “Piano Man” before doing a five-song encore. Starting the encore with “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” he eventually concluded the concert with his 1980 song “You May Be Right.”

Cyrstal Talifeero performs during CBS presents Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden.

Michael Crowe/CBS


At the end of the night, he was greeted by a cheering crowd who gave him a roaring ovation – deservedly so.

Never miss a story – subscribe PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay informed about the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The 100: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden special airs Sunday, April 14 at 9 pm ET on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

Leave a Comment