The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden - The Greatest Arena Run of All Time (2024 TV Special) User Reviews

The piano man's still got it

[DarthWalker-34381 · 9/10 · 21 April 2024]

The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden aired on CBS, and is available to stream on Paramount+. Unfortunately, I missed it on CBS, so decided to stream it today on Paramount+.

Admittedly, I have always been a huge fan of Billy Joel. I used to call him a musical genius, and he still is. His voice is just as polished in this sold-out concert as it was in the 1970s, 80s, and beyond. Joel's ability to pull the audience into each song with his signature heartfelt delivery and intimate style is as masterful as ever. While he's not as active as he was 30+ years ago...he simply sits at the piano throughout most of the concert, unlike the wild man he used to be on stage...but he still puts on a great show!

If you haven't seen this yet, definitely give it a try.

"This is the best venue we've ever played." - Billy Joel on Madison Square Garden

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 24 April 2024]

No other reviews here for this televised special? That seems surprising, although this was filmed just two weeks ago as I write this. Billy Joel's performance at Madison Square Garden was captured in this, his one hundredth appearance at the fabled arena in a residency that has spanned eight years and counting. The concert was done in the round, and I have to say, as Joel begins his first song in a darkened arena and the bright lights of the Garden illuminate the entire place, the feeling was electric sitting at home and catching it on the Paramount Plus platform. The show is interspersed with comments from Joel and some of the musicians performing with him, along with celebrity guest appearances by Jerry Seinfeld and Sting, who belts out 'Big Man on Mulbery Street' in what looked like a Frank Sinatra tribute. I never made the connection before, but many of Billy Joel's big hits have something to do with New York, Long Island, and the places he grew up, and it's more than palpable as he works through the song list. The effect of seeing this performance made me want to get up and buy a ticket to one of his next shows, but I have to say, even the nosebleeds behind the stage go for hundreds, making me wonder how the average person gets to see Joel in person without breaking open the piggy bank.