Joel's dozen much cheaper than seeing his live show

Joel's dozen much cheaper than seeing his live show
Charleston Post Courier (subscription) - Charleston,SC,USA
BY DEVIN GRANT. It was really no surprise when Billy Joel recently sold out New York City's Madison Square Garden. After all, the ...

Billy Joel - 12 Gardens Live - (Columbia)

It was really no surprise when Billy Joel recently sold out New York City's Madison Square Garden. After all, the Long Island-born singer-songwriter has long been a favorite son of the Big Apple. But the amazing thing about Joel's recent residence at the Garden is that he sold the huge venue out not once, but 12 nights in a row. That's enough to impress even the most jaded New Yorker, and in fact it was the first time an artist had ever done that.

For the few of us out there that apparently couldn't make it to NYC for the live show, Joel has thoughtfully released "12 Gardens Live," a 2-CD live set of songs from the series of concerts. There are plenty of songs one would expect from Joel's catalog, including "My Life," "Allentown," "Goodnight Saigon," "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," "Big Shot," "The River of Dreams" and "We Didn't Start the Fire." Joel also throws in some more obscure tunes, including "Everybody Loves You Now," "The Ballad of Billy the Kid," "Laura" and "She's Right On Time."

"New York State of Mind" is sort of expected, given the venue, and Joel ends with what has become his traditional closer, "Piano Man," before returning for an encore of "And So It Goes." Although it has been years since Joel released a proper rock album, and the artist only performs occasionally nowadays, "12 Gardens Live" proves that Joel is still relevant as a rock artist. Chances are that he could set up shop for a month in New York City, and he would have no trouble selling tickets. Don't be surprised if he tries that in the future. (B+)

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