When I found out that I was going to be covering the legend, Billy Joel, I was absolutely ecstatic, as I have been a fan of his music ever since I can remember. Now for those who don’t know, Billy Joel has been playing music for well over 50 years, which is absolutely unheard of these days. When I arrived at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL, I could already tell the night was going to be spectacular, as the arena was absolutely packed with fans waiting to see Billy Joel perform. Now the neat thing about this concert was that there was no opening act. Billy Joel and his band performed all night.
As I got settled in the photographer’s area, I looked back and all I could see was a sea of people waiting for Billy Joel to take the stage. You could feel the energy building for something extremely special that was about to happen. As the lights dimmed and the band took the stage, the crowd erupted. A spotlight followed Billy Joel up the stairs, onto the stage, as he opened his set playing, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” on guitar, which was an awesome thing to see the 70 year old still shredding on the guitar. He then sat down at his legendary piano and played a lot of his hit tunes. And yes, you read correctly, Billy Joel is 70 years old but let me tell you this, you would never guess it. Billy Joel’s set was filled with over two hours of fantastic music, witty jokes and an overall amazing performance that kept fans entertained, dancing and created memories that will last a life time.
Overall, I had an absolutely incredible time and it was an honor getting to cover Billy Joel’s show. It was fantastic, the sound was incredible, and the overall atmosphere was a true definition of what a live music event should be. If you haven’t seen Billy Joel live, do it! I promise you will not regret it and you will have a memory that will never be forgotten.
Setlist: (via setlist.fm)
- We Didn’t Start the Fire
- My Life
- The Entertainer
- Zanzibar
- Vienna
- Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
- Summer, Highland Falls
- Don’t Ask Me Why
- The Downeaster Alexa
- Say Goodbye to Hollywood
- New York State of Mind
- Modern Woman
- She’s Always a Woman
- Allentown
- I Feel Fine – (The Beatles cover)
- Sometimes a Fantasy
- Only the Good Die Young
- The River of Dreams
- Nessun dorma – (Giacomo Puccini cover)
- Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
- Piano Man
Encore:
- Uptown Girl
- It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
- Big Shot
- You May Be Right (with ‘Rock and Roll’ by Led Zeppelin snippet sung by Mike DelGuidice)
