Billy Joel opened his BST Hyde Park gig with bad news and good. The bad news was that he didn’t have any new songs to share with the 65,000 strong crowd. His good news was that he didn't have any new songs! Which meant he rolled out hit after hit over the course his two-hour set – reminding me how his melodies and voice have shaped the backdrop of my lifetime.
Billy Joel, now 74, is now in his 5th decade performing, and has been playing the piano for over 70 years – starting at 4yrs old. But his interest in classical music and lyrical line, matched with the wit and romance of his lyrics means his songs have always carried a certain maturity – well, except for 'UpTown Girl', which is just a bundle of '80s catchy fun!
Joel opened with 3 bursts of stunning energy – rebelling against any judgements of aging with punching rhythms and declarative statements of 'My Life' and 'Moving Out' before establishing himself as the eponymous 'Entertainer'.
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Billy Joel and his band have a chemistry that shines through
Joel is an irresistible mix of cocky and modest which makes him utterly charming. This charm is much more than showmanship if the warmth shown by his band is anything to go by. The beautiful harmonies and playfulness of 'The Longest Time' were perfectly matched in the tender smiles on their faces as they sang it. The fist bump between Billy and his guitarist after they had soared together through 'An Innocent Man', backed up by the joyful adoration of the crowd, was a delight to behold.
Joel is known as the piano man, and the cameraman occasionally showing us his fingers tinkling the ivories with casual grace as he and the grand moved around the stage meant little extra visuals were needed. It also meant the one moment of furiously paced images backing up 'We Didn’t Start The Fire' were all the more impactful.
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On a gloriously sunny evening in London, its quite something to be able to create a 'New York State of Mind', but Billy Joel did just that. Lovers in the crowd moved closer and as he somehow managed to both purr and belt his way through that romantic, jazzy classic. We could have been Central Park not Hyde Park.
Billy Joel invites Joe Jonas to sing 'Uptown Girl'
Billy Joel’s modesty led to him happily handing over the stage on occasion. Crystal Taliefero stepped out from behind her percussion long enough to pay a stunning tribute to Tina Turner with her rendition 'River of Dreams'. Then suddenly, in amidst all the rock and roll, Mike Delguidice found a way to sing 'Nessun Dorma' that was absolutely appropriate and unique. Anyone of my generation cannot help but love 'UpTown Girl' but it has a sass of youth to it which Billy chose not to try and relive – he sits happily in the wisdom and power of his age, it seems. Instead he chose to invite Joe Jonas to join him in it – and together master and apprentice owned the stage and sent the crowd wild.
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Billy Joel covers Beatles classic for BST finale
Perhaps as a nod to his hosts – the only European venue of his tour – one of the last tunes Billy Joel shared with us was 'Hard Day’s Night' and if the crowd hadn’t already gone horse with singing, they belted it out.
He may have worked hard, but he made it look easy. Perhaps juxtaposition is Billy’s unique appeal. 'Piano Man', where he held vocals, piano and harmonica, is both poignant and uplifting in its melody and its loving observations of the ordinary – he finds beauty where others see sadness. His gnarly, rough hands call delicate tunes from the keyboard. His punchy, quick fire songs speak with wit and intelligence. And his vital, youthful music sounds even more powerful sung by Billy Joel in his 70s. I left feeling like I had rocked with a vast, energised multitude, and shared moments of musical intimacy with the man himself. Thank you, Billy Joel.