BPD members "Ralphie and Alice" wrote:
Billy Joel and his eight-man band showed up in full force. The 59-year-old didn’t show his age for a moment during the lively 22-song concert, which started with “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway),” followed by “The Entertainer.”
He sprinkled in some light banter and a few anecdotes here and there, but the night was all about high-energy, up-tempo hits like “Keeping the Faith,” “Movin' Out (Anthony's Song),” “The River of Dreams,” “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “Only the Good Die Young.” He also threw in a couple more obscure songs for good measure: “Zanzibar” and “Stiletto” (“We haven’t done this in a while, but, if we screw up, at least we’ll have a bond,” BJ said). While gyrating across the stage, twirling the mic stand and throwing it in the air, it was pretty obvious that this entertainer loves his job more than ever.
Thanks to his rotating piano, BJ never had his back to one half of the crowd for too long. And, although he was always center stage, BJ generously shared the spotlight with band members for solos, like saxophonist Mark Rivera; flugelhornist Carl Fisher; and even a roadie named Chainsaw who sang AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.”
He wrapped up the show with perhaps his greatest hit of all, “Piano Man,” which turned the 5,500-seat arena into an intimate piano bar, with strangers swaying in unison, cell phones and lighters glowing in the darkness and everyone singing along. BJ didn’t contribute at all to the last chorus—and the audience compensated well.
He exited with this reminder to the audience before leaving the stage. “Don’t take any shit from anybody.” You said it, Billy!
Backstage, we were allowed to watch the final soundcheck and then were introduced, one by one, to the band. Finally, BJ himself appeared and graciously shot the shit with us for about 15 minutes. He was friendly and easy to be around, not like some other jerks we've had the "pleasure" to meet in the past.
This was not the first time that we've seen a show from the back, but it's always something very special.
Great job, BPD; you've delivered the goods.
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