Billy's girl strikes all the right notes

The headliner was Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, but the nearly sold-out crowd showed up early to catch the opening act, introduced simply as "a girl from Long Island." As if everyone didn't know, the girl was Alexa Ray Joel, daughter of that most famous local musician, Billy Joel.

In the audience were her mother, Christie Brinkley; her half-sister, Sailor Lee; and the Piano Man himself. The 20-year-old singer-songwriter announced that the one-hour concert was her "first hometown gig" and the longest she'd ever played, making it a coming-out party of sorts - albeit one reportedly shadowed by paparazzi and documented by the "Today" show.

Joel is not a total rookie: She's been touring clubs and colleges and posting demos on MySpace (her star-studded friends list includes Fiona Apple and Butch Walker). Her six-song EP, "Sketches," was on sale at the show. Throughout the concert, she chatted easily with the audience, sang with conviction and appeared poised and confident at her electric piano.

Like her father, Joel takes inspiration from early pop, even pre-pop. "The Heart of Me" rolled along on a doo-wop cadence; "Say Goodbye" borrowed from Tin Pan Alley; "The Sapphire Night," which Joel wrote as a teenager, sounded like a 1950s teen ballad. As a lyricist, Joel is still developing - many of her songs seem to be about writing songs - but her clever, ever-shifting chord progressions are unfailingly catchy.

Dad's influence ends when Joel begins to sing. Her distinctive voice has a speedy, almost chipmunkish vibrato, but it also has grit and brass. Perhaps through osmosis, Joel has soaked up the R&B and gospel influences that define the current sound of female pop.

At the show's end, Joel moved away from her keyboard to join her three-piece band for two numbers, the slow-burning "Song of Yesterday" (dedicated to her mother) and a straight-up funk tune, "Not Alright," that brought the audience to its feet.

Clearly, someone has taught Joel how to control a crowd. "Thank you," she said sweetly. "That's all for today, folks."

ALEXA RAY JOEL. The nonprofit Friends of the Arts brings some local talent to its summer concert series. Friday at Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, Oyster Bay.

Only Christie Brinkley Would Know for Sure

I’m a reluctant traveler. Not because I’m afraid of flying or weary of being prodded and wanded by Transportation Security Administration screeners.

I don’t like to leave L.A. because I’m a dead ringer for Billy Joel.

Traveling back east — especially to New York — is the worst. I can’t make it through the terminal at J.F.K. or LaGuardia without an incident. Usually, people just stare at me. But sometimes they go to extremes, coming within inches of my face.

“I’m not him,” I’ll say.

And then they usually leave me alone, because even though I’m Billy Joel’s doppelgänger, I don’t sound anything like him.

I’ve tried disguises, like wearing a baseball cap or sunglasses. That only worsens the problem, because people expect a famous singer to be traveling incognito.

Getting through the airport isn’t the most difficult part. It’s the pressure of being stuck on a plane with other passengers who think I’m You-Know-Who.

Flight attendants look puzzled when I walk back to the economy-class cabin, but there’s no time to explain that I’m not the Piano Man, I make independent films. Seatmates will spontaneously begin talking about music, or more often, their favorite Billy Joel album.

“I’m not him,” I’ll say. And it’s enough to convince a seatmate, but not the rest of the passengers who are out of earshot.

I’ve only been asked to sing once. I was waiting to meet some friends at a restaurant called Luna in Little Italy in New York. A couple walked in and did a double take when they saw me. But they didn’t stay star-struck for very long.

“Will you play something for us?” one of them asked.

By now, I was tired of being mistaken for someone else. “For a hundred grand, I will,” I said.

Silence.

“OK,” I said. “Fifty grand?”

More silence.

“All right, show me the piano and I’ll sing for free.”

But by then, they already knew I was someone else. The jig was up.

If I shaved my goatee, I might be able to travel anonymously.

But while I was waiting for a flight from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh recently, I met someone who helped put my similarities with the musician into perspective. The woman told me something I’d heard hundreds of times before: “You look just like Billy Joel.”

And I repeated the answer I’ve given a hundred times: “I know. I get that a lot.”

“You don’t understand,” she continued. “I was at Billy’s house just last week. You really do look like him. In person.”

It turns out she was related to Billy Joel.

“Well, next time you see him,” I said. “Please tell him to stop impersonating me.”

Joel drops in on town concert

Unlike his dozen Madison Square Garden dates earlier this year, Billy Joel's appearance onstage Friday night wasn't sold out. That's because there were no tickets sold for the evening of piano at Heckscher Park in Huntington. The headline soloist? That was Richard Joo, a British-Korean virtuoso and composer playing "The Classical Music of Billy Joel."

During the second half of the free concert, Joel unexpectedly strolled onto the Harry Chapin Rainbow Stage. He had hand-picked Joo to arrange and record his classical pieces for "Fantasies and Delusions," an album that topped the Billboard charts for 18 weeks in 2001. Several of the pieces were performed by Joo during the show.

Joel quickly tried to let the audience know that Joo, although impressing the crowd, deserved better than the baby grand piano in the center of the stage.

"I'm known for my philanthropy," Joel told the crowd, ticking off a few small organizations, "and I'm going to buy them a new piano." Then he smiled about his gift for the Huntington Arts Council. "I guess I'm on the hook for this now."

Diana Cherryholmes, executive director of the co-sponsoring arts council, was surprised by Joel's announcement. "I didn't know anything about it," she said.

After introducing a medley of Joo's arrangements, Joel interspersed amusing commentary during a romantic song, explaining his thoughts while writing the music about love won and lost.

Joel then thrilled the crowd of about 300 when he walked across the stage and sat on a stool behind a small electronic keyboard facing Joo, who has toured with Joel.

"Here he is, the great composer Billy Joel, the Piano Man - he lets me play this baby grand while he just plays that little keyboard," Joo said. "I am humbled."

After a classical duet, Joel's poignant rendition of "Baby Grand" was a big hit with the audience, which included Joel's mother, Rosalind, and John Lennon's son Sean.

Joel and Joo had discreetly rehearsed and performed sound checks during the afternoon. "It was a well-guarded secret," said an arts council spokesman.

In the 41 years that the arts council has been coordinating free summer entertainment, this is the first time Joel has performed at Heckscher, Cherryholmes said. "We didn't know until today that he would play here," she said. "We had been talking about it."

And after the concert, so was everyone else.

Brinkley Faces Philandering Hubby

Nothing quenches a hot day quite like a popsicle and a visit to your philandering ex. Though not necessarily in that order.

Christie Brinkley met up with her estranged hubby Peter Cook Tuesday for the first time since reports of his extramarital affair with a teenager hit the headlines.

"I'd rather not comment," the erstwhile CoverGirl told the New York Daily News. "I just don't want to fuel this anymore."

According to the paper, Brinkley arrived at the $22 million Hamptons home she shared, until recently, with Cook to engage for a family-friendly pow-wow. In Brinkley's corner was daughter Alexa Joel, whose father is Piano Man Billy Joel, while Cook was accompanied by his elderly parents.

Not present for the get-together were the duo's children Sailor Lee, 7, and 11-year-old Jack, whom Cook adopted upon tying the knot with Brinkley in 1996. Also not present: Brinkley's wedding ring. (Cook on the other hand has been photographed wearing his band several times since the split.)

While the parties arrived to the home separately, they stayed inside for just 15 minutes, the Daily News reported, before Brinkley, in a Lexus SUV, led the caravan to another unknown location.

An hour later, the 52-year-old model and Alexa returned to the beachside compound sans her estranged spouse.

Upon leaving the estate for the final time, Brinkley made a model move, likely ingratiating herself to Daily News photographers for years to come.

The paper reports that the professional poser took pity on their lone cameraman stationed in the sweltering heat and offered him a box of popsicles.

"Here, this is a little gift for you," she told him. "I want you to take this. It's very, very hot out."

Inside the box was a note reiterating her sympathy for the lensman, with the message: "Sorry you have to do this on such a hot day!" Brinkley also included two leather bracelets embroidered with stopglobalwarming.com, a cause supported by the model.

Brinkley's no comment policy on the situation--aside from her thoughts on the weather, that is--is in keeping with her reaction to the split from Cook.

Brinkley's sole remarks came last month when she announced plans to separate after 10 years of marriage, a statement that preceded revelations about Cook's extramarital activities and which simply asked that "people will be kind enough to respect her privacy."

A week after issuing the announcement, 19-year-old Diana Bianchi stepped forward claiming to have carried on a yearlong affair with the architect and threatened to file a sexual-harassment suit against her former employer.

Bianchi claimed Cook met her at a toy store when she was just 17, and quickly hired her as an assistant at his firm. She claimed the married man seduced and wooed her with extravagant gifts, including jewelry and a down payment on a car, before she called it off.

Two days later, '90s pop singer Samantha Cole also stepped forward, claiming to have been another teenage paramour of Cook's. Her tale closely resembled that of Bianchi, claiming she met Cook 11 years ago when she was just 18 and that Cook gave her a job in his firm. When she called off their affair, he proposed to her. She refused and a month later, he was engaged to Brinkley.

For his part, the 47-year-old finally fessed up to the reports last week, issuing an apology to the Uptown Girl and making it clear he hoped for a reconciliation.

"This is an aberration," he said at the time. "I'm sorry. I'm contrite. I'm stupid. Foolish. No excuse."

The meeting in the Hamptons was Brinkley's first time back in the neighborhood since word of the affair broke. The model had temporarily left the area with her two younger children in order to protect them from the intense media coverage.

Longtime Billy Joel drummer headed to MU

For three decades, Liberty DeVitto toured the world as the drummer for superstar singer-songwriter Billy Joel. Next week, he'll visit Marshall University to give the public an up-close look at his drumming skills, which are more accustomed to rocking arenas than classrooms.

Inspired by The Beatles to start playing drums in 1964, DeVitto took up backing Joel in the mid-1970s, playing on several of his classic albums like "The Stranger," "52nd Street" and "Glass Houses." He's also set the beat for the piano man all over the world. Joel's current tour is the first known not to include DeVitto since the two began working together.

Now he's looking to share some of that experience with the younger set, a tool that the completely self-taught DeVitto never had in his musical gestation.

"When I was younger, I wanted to learn how to play like Ringo Starr, I wanted to learn how to play rock 'n' roll music, but it was just coming out of the jazz phase," DeVitto said. "The instructors at the time were a lot of jazz snobs, they didn't want to know about rock 'n' roll. It's totally different today, because rock 'n' roll is absolutely an accepted form of music."

DeVitto has not only managed to learn how to play rock music, but to become an innovator of the genre, said Ben Miller, a Marshall music professor instrumental in bringing the drummer to the campus.

"If you listen to the Billy Joel recordings, and there certainly are many of them over a large period of time, you really don't hear too much of the same thing from song to song or album to album. And that takes a great deal of creativity for a drummer not to just go into 'Well, here's my standard drum beat number one' and play that on every song," Miller said.

"So Liberty has had the creativity and musicianship to fit the many different tunes Billy Joel has had over his career."

DeVitto will be lecturing at Marshall on Monday and Tuesday at several music appreciation classes at the school. He'll also be opening the lessons up to the public at 7 on Monday night in the Choir Room of Smith Music Hall. He'll be playing along with some of his most well-known tracks, giving an intimate look at how he created the rhythm for some of the most beloved pop songs in history.

"Instead of being in the 300th row of a civic center somewhere, folks will just be 10 feet away," Miller said. "They'll be able to watch his hands and watch his feet, and see exactly how he makes the sounds he makes."

An admission of $5 will be charged at the door of the public drum clinic.

JOEL'S DAUGHTER'S SHOCK AT DAD'S YOUNG WIFE

Musician ALEXA RAY JOEL was furious when her father BILLY JOEL first started dating his current-wife KATIE LEE, because the cookery host was only three years older than her.

Alexa, 21, whose mother is Joel's second wife CHRISTIE BRINKLEY, eventually came round to the idea and soon formed a close friendship with 24-year-old Lee.

Alexa says, "To be honest, when I first found out I gave dad a hard time about it. Then I got to know her. "She's really intelligent, sweet and warm, and she's a really good cook - which is great for dad and me!

"Because she's young, we can relate on a lot of levels so she's like a really good friend."

Peter Kay Steals Joel's Thunder...

Legendary Uptown Girl singer Billy Joel attracted an amazing 47,000 punters to his Croke Park gig on Saturday but Peter Kay had them in fits before he even walked on stage...

It's one of the oldest rules in ShowBiz and something a veteran performer like Billy Joel should be well aware of: never have a support act that's gonna upstage the main show!

Well the comic in question was the genius creator of the hit show Phoenix Nights, Peter Kay, and managed to have Mr. Joel's capacity crowd rolling in the aisles with nothing more than a dry commentary over some songs he had recorded on his personal stereo!

Such was the response from the crowd Billy went out on the main stage to thank Peter personally and must have been thinking in the back of his mind: "How am I gonna follow that?"

But with legions of loyal fans eager to sing along to his greatest hits the US singer hardly had a mountain to climb on a warm Saturday evening in Dublin...

Par for the course the aging rocker delivered in style his tried-and-tested routine although some fans did suggest he could have played more of his better known tracks.

Meanwhile, across town the sight of Peter Stringfellow's neon sign still aglow after the club went into liquidation some weeks ago was a sad reminder of what could have been - the lights are on but there's no lap dancers at home!

Billy Joel, Bryan Adams perform free show

Billy Joel, Bryan Adams perform free show
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
ROME - New York songwriter Billy Joel and Canadian rocker Bryan Adams took the stage just outside the Colosseum and performed classic hits to the delight of ...
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It's still rock'n'roll to Billy Joel

Six-time Grammy Award-winner Billy Joel will be bringing his world tour to South Africa in October, Big Concerts said on Thursday.

The tour by Joel and his eight-piece band -- including a four-piece horn section -- will start on October 26 at the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg. It then moves on to Cape Town's Bellville Velodrome on November 1.

His first performance in South Africa will see him performing hits such as River of Dreams, We Didn't Start the Fire, New York State of Mind, Just the Way You Are, It's Still Rock'n'Roll to Me, Piano Man, Tell Her about It and Uptown Girl.

Joel has sold more than 100-million records worldwide and was the first artist to have five albums past the seven million mark.

According to Big Concerts, the current Billy Joel tour recently set a world record for selling out New York's Madison Square Garden for 12 consecutive nights, beating Bruce Springsteen's record of 10 nights.

Tickets will go on sale on Saturday at 9am and will be priced from R250. -- Sapa

Billy Joel's Mzansi jol

One of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century, Billy Joel, is coming to South Africa for the first time.

Accompanied by an eight-piece band, he will be appearing at the Coca Cola Dome on October 26 in Johannesburg before heading off to the Velodrome in Cape Town on November 1.

Billy Joel has sold over 100 million records in a career spanning four decades. He is known for hits like Just the Way You Are and It's Still Rock '* Roll to Me.

His massive hit, Uptown Girl, was famously inspired by '80s supermodel and all-American gal, Christie Brinkley who he married and then divorced in true Hollywood style.

But Joel is perhaps best known for his song, Piano Man. The name Piano Man is to him what Material Girl is to Madonna. Tickets for the shows start at R250 and are available at Computicket.

Billy Joel coming to SA

Billy Joel, the piano man, will be bringing his hugely successful world tour to South Africa this October.

Beginning in Johannesburg’s Coca-Cola Dome on the 26th, the tour will see Joel and his eight-piece band (including a four-piece horn section) move on to Cape Town’s Bellville Velodrome on November 1.

A six-time Grammy award winner, Billy Joel has sold in excess of 100 million records worldwide and was the first artist to have five albums past the seven million mark.

Having not performed in SA before, Joel is heading south to perform hits from his massive repertoire, including 'River of Dreams', 'We Didn’t Start the Fire', 'New York State of Mind', 'Just the Way You Are', 'It’s Still Rock n’ Roll To Me', 'Piano Man', 'Tell Her About It' and 'Uptown Girl'.

Joel's tour recently set a world record for selling out New York’s Madison Square Gardens for twelve consecutive nights, beating Bruce Springsteen’s previously held record of 10 nights.

He's being brought to South Africa by BIG Concerts, 94.7 Highveld Stereo and Kfm 94.5.

Tickets go on sale Saturday August 5 at 9am.

Tickets are priced from R250 (excluding booking fees), and are available from Computicket on 083 915 8000, www.computicket.com and all outlets countrywide.

Tour Itinerary
Thursday 26 October: The Coca-Cola Dome, JHB
Wednesday 1 November: The Bellville Velodrome, CT

Billy Joel impresses at Roman Coliseum

ROME, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A half-million Italians packed the Roman Coliseum for a concert by New York rocker Billy Joel and Canadian Bryan Adams, ANSA reported Tuesday.

Although he's hardly a household name in Italy, Joel, 54, garnered high praise from the Italian press and entralled the audience with his piano/rock at the annual Telecom Italia-organized event, ANSA said.

The Roman daily, La Repubblica, marveled at Joel's two hour set with nary a "dud" song while the daily Il Messaggero dubbed him "Uncle Billy."

Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni summed up the experience as "marvelous" with "great musical quality and intensity."

Observers were overheard ranking Joel's concert higher than last year's show by Elton John and the 2004 concert by Simon & Garfunkel, ANSA said.

Organizers were leaning toward Italian artists for next year's fifth annual "Telecomcerto" concert with the name of Vasco Rossi mentioned, ANSA said.

Billy Joel, Bryan Adams perform free concert outside Rome’s Colosseum

ROME (AP) - Rocker Bryan Adams and New York songwriter Billy Joel took to the stage just outside the Colosseum and performed classic hits to the delight of hundreds of thousands of fans.

Organizers put the number of people who turned up for the free concert Monday night at half a million.

Adams, opening the concert with the Colosseum lit up with purple and yellow lights, performed classics such as Run to You.

Joel sang old favourites like New York State of Mind, Honesty and Just the Way You Are.

While introducing one song he joked in shaky Italian, "This song is as old as the Colosseum."

Giant screens were set up along Via dei Fori Imperiali, the large boulevard that leads to the Colosseum and is lined with ancient Roman relics, for the throngs of people who could not see the stage.

The concert in front of the Colosseum has become a fixture of recent years in Rome. Previous performers include Paul McCartney and Simon & Garfunkel.