Billy Joel
» Billy Joel set to tour for first time in 8 years - July 17, 2006
Fans of the piano man prepare yourselves! The Frontier Touring Company welcomes back Billy Joel to Australia and New Zealand this November and December for a limited run of concerts. Billy will take to the stage in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney and - for the first time in 10 years will also play shows in Auckland and Adelaide.
Billy Joel is one of this century’s greatest musicians. Winning six Grammy Awards, selling in excess of 150 million albums worldwide, being inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and also the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame are just a few of the accolades Billy has clocked up over the years.Indeed it is thirty years since the release of Billy’s landmark album ‘The Stranger’. To celebrate this anniversary, Sony BMG are issuing ‘The Stranger 30th Anniversary Legacy’ edition with a bonus disc of live tracks. This collectors item is being released to coincide with the announcement of Billy’s tour through Sony BMG on Saturday July 12th.
Most recently Billy has been awarded the prestigious honour of giving the final ever musical performance at the renowned Shea Stadium. A sporting venue by trade – the home of the New York Mets major baseball league team – it has also had an illustrious music career that has seen performances from everyone such The Beatles and Led Zeppelin to name but a few. It’s a fitting end to have the incomparable Billy Joel, a native New Yorker, close the final curtain on this hallowed ground.
In 2006 Billy toured Australia thrilling the audiences and critics alike by playing all the favourites – Piano Man, Uptown Girl, New York State of Mind, River of Dreams and Tell Her About It amongst many others – in a two and a half hour spectacular. Breaking attendance records across Australia, Billy left everyone enraptured with his performances.
The Herald Sun announced: “…his performance showed why he remains one of the premier acts of the world”. The Courier Mail were similarly thrilled: “There were no huge screens, no pyrotechnics, no gimmicks at all – unless you count a revolving piano – because Joel didn’t need them. The focus was all on the piano man – just as it should be.”
“Billy Joel performed with expertise and intensity all night long.” announced The Age, and the Sydney Morning Herald concurred: “…he is a well-seasoned entertainer, with a gift for writing songs that push all the crowd-pleasing buttons.”
Tickets to see Billy Joel were snapped up in record time, and with Auckland and Adelaide added to the agenda, you can expect demand to be unprecedented. Secure yours when they go on sale this Friday 25 July.
