Not “Movin’ out”—Billy Joel Reaches Milestone at MSG
100 sold out shows and counting.
Music legend Billy Joel made history Wednesday night as he rocked Madison Square Garden in New York City, performing his 100th show -- the impressive run of shows includes a monthly residency at the Garden that began in January 2014.
And as an added bonus, concertgoers were treated to a surprise appearance by New Jersey's Bruce Springsteen.
The Hicksville, New York, native has sold out MSG for four decades and reached more than 1 million tickets sold. Fox Business attended a press conference that recognized his milestone on Wednesday.
Musician Billy Joel poses for the media during a press conference to celebrate his 100th lifetime concert at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
“What Billy Joel has accomplished, may never be accomplished again,” Madison Square Garden Chairman and CEO Jim Dolan said of the 69-year old “Piano Man”.
Joel holds the Garden's records for most performances and most shows in a single run, which hit 54 consecutive shows on Wednesday -- but gives praise to his dedicated New York audience for staying by his side.
“The audiences are great. The venue is great... I couldn’t think of a better way of peaking in my life other than this,” Joel said. "To have a residency here is a dream already."
But what separates Billy from the competition is his New York roots.
“With all the fame and all the lights, Billy still is the man he was when he started. That’s what New Yorker’s feel. He’s always been there for New York,” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo who also attended the event.
Cuomo formally declared July 18 as “Billy Joel Day” -- “New York loves Billy Joel,” he said.
After Joel played a few notes on the piano, his agent, Dennis Arfa, told Fox Business’ Jaimie La Bella that the rock & roll legend has already sold out five more upcoming shows at The Garden – and plans for the trend to continue.
But if you’re looking to catch him in concert, you have to dish out the dough. The average ticket price to see Joel is $222.42, according to Ticket Club data. So far, Joel’s lengthy run has accumulated $222 million in ticket sales. And you don’t have to worry that he isn’t going to play his iconic song, “Piano Man”. Joel has played his signature song 99 times. His other most-played song during his four and a half year residency is “Movin Out” which Billy won’t be doing anytime soon.
Joel’s residency is set to run at MSG through the end of 2018 and it’s expected to continue into 2019.