I had the op****tunity to see Billy Joel for only the second time
during his recent visit to Virginia Beach. In front of a sell-out
crowd of over 20,000, Billy Joel performed a two-hour plus set that
included the following songs:
Prelude/Angry Young Man
My Life
The Entertainer
Zanzibar
Miami 2017
New York State of Mind
The Downeaster "Alexa"
Allentown
Don't Ask Me Why
Keeping the Faith
Root Beer Bag
Moving Out (Anthony's Song)
She's Always a Woman to Me
Captain Jack
The River of Dreams
Highway to Hell*
We Didn't Start the Fire
Still Rock and Roll to Me
You May Be Right
Encore
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
Only the Good Die Young
Piano Man
*vocals by guitar tech Ricky "Chain Saw" LaPointe A laughable but
credible performance...his vocals were on a par with Brian Johnson,
but not up to Bon Scott's snarl.
Billy had only played in the Tidewater, Va area once before, at the
Hampton Coliseum in 1987. I was fortunate enough to see him then
also. The differences? The brash cockiness is gone...so is the
hair. Having gained quite a few lbs(hidden quite well by baggy blue
jeans and a black s****ts coat left unbuttoned) he was definitely not
telegenic. He bemoaned the fact that "American Idol" only seeks out
the hotties and cuties these days. Billy's voice has a deeper timbre
these days, but he still does a wonderful job on all of his
songs...hitting the high notes just often enough.
The only band member that remains from the 1987 tour is the multi-
talented Mark Rivera. I don't own any Billy Joel albums, had only
seen him perform once before, but I recognized Mark even before the
show began. He was down in the orchestra section visiting with
friends/family, making sure they were comfortable in their seats.
Throughout the show, Mark played various saxes,(had a couple of great
solos) played rhythm guitar, percussion, and sang. It was a toss-up
between him and Billy who was having the most fun. Percussionist
extraordinaire, Crystal Taliafero was close behind. But back to
Mark...looking back at some YouTube videos, didn't he play more rhythm/
acoustic guitar back in 1987 then he does nowadays?
The other big difference in Billy Joel over the past 21 years is that
he seems more relaxed and much more amusing. Here's just a few of the
many things he said between songs:
He said that even though he had never played in Va Beach before he had
been there once before. Got a ticket. For speeding. 40 in a
35...pause...New York plates. He was able to also joke about his
driving/drinking problems of the past by commenting that the high
ticket prices were due to his car insurance...you should see the
bill. After the piano had rotated from right to left and back...he
said the high ticket prices were due to the special effects...the
piano turning this way and that. Scanning the huge crowd filling the
lawn behind the main seating area, he commented that he hoped they
could hear him all the way back there in Baltimore. Ticketmaster
managed to somehow oversell the lawn seats and some people were forced
to sit on the back side of the hill with no view of the stage.(I hope
they got their money back.) Billy attempted to connect with those
people as well as the ones at the farthest reaches of the lawn who
could only see what appeared to be ants on the stage...He offered to
describe himself for them, saying he was 6'6", a cross between Brad
Pitt and Tom Cruise, with long blonde flowing hair. That definitely
got a big laugh from the crowd who can identify and sympathize with
him.
I'm glad to see Billy showcasing some of his lesser gems like Miami
2017, The Entertainer, and especially Zanzibar. The melody to the
latter song still plays in my head days later.
My GF got some decent photos(good seats and her 10X zoom), especially
of the horn section. I'd be happy to send a few pix to the first half
dozen or so(if there are that many left in this newsgroup) who write.
Danny in Yorktown, VA
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