Chaotic merch lines, a Puccini cover, Axl Rose singing off-key.
Inside Billy Joels final Madison Square Garden residency show.
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Hey, what the hell?!
someone shouted belligerently or at least more belligerently than youd expect outside the entrance to aBilly Joelconcert.
In addition to the typical MSG merch spots, a separate pop-up had been erected to mark the occasion.
A Billy Joel crowd may not overlap much with the self-promoting TikTok generation, but bragging rights are universal.
The initial discord had surprised the two Gen-Z ushers I spoke to.
Tasia said shed staffed a few Joel shows before and that the audiences were always very friendly.
Idll, working his first, was hoping to poke his head upstairs before the night was done.
Uptown Girl, thats the jam there, he said, giving me a pound.
Which meant they expected somethingspecial.
Everyone I spoke to also anticipated some special guests.
Alas, the first celebrity cameo was from Jimmy Fallon, who ran out with his usual flop-sweat energy.
Fallon joshed while Joel curtseyed.
So who would fans get tonight?
Thankfully, he settled into a groove on the next track, AC/DCs Highway to Hell.
Strangest is when guitarist Mike DelGuidice sings the Puccini aria Nessun dorma before Scenes From an Italian Restaurant.
Despite sticking to the basic script, fans were locked in.
Billy Joel, as he sang early in the show, is indeed The Entertainer.
Well be back, Joel told the crowd early in the set.
