Billy Joel is winding down his decade-long residency at Madison Square Garden, but the Piano Man still has some tricks up his sleeves including an appearance by special guest Elvis Costello. The British pub-rocker joined Joel onstage at MSG on Tuesday to run through his own “Pump It Up” along with Joel’s “Allentown”.
The pulsating beat of Costello’s hit from his 1978 debut with The Attractions This Year’s Model brought him to the stage, the fiery 69-year-old still summoning the youthful grit that brought him to the forefront of the new wave scene. After yielding Costello centerstage on “Pump It Up”, Joel shared the limelight with his guest for a duet of “Allentown” from Billy’s 1982 album The Nylon Curtain.
Billy Joel, Elvis Costello – “Pump It Up” – 12/19/23
[Video: Marianne Stone]
Billy Joel, Elvis Costello – “Allentown” – 12/19/23
[Video: Fiona Sigalla]
Joel has welcomed plenty of special guests throughout his record-setting Madison Square Garden residency, which began back in January 2014. Past shows have seen Mr. Long Island play alongside John Mayer, Miley Cyrus, Paul Simon, John Fogerty, Olivia Rodrigo, Billy Gibbons, and more, with Bruce Springsteen joining him for a special sit-in in celebration of Joel’s 100th career MSG show on July 18th, 2018, which was named “Billy Joel Day” in the state of New York.
Earlier this year, Joel revealed he would end his MSG residency with his 150th-lifetime show at the venue. Set for July 25th, 2024, the concert will finish a run of shows that have earned Joel a place in the rafters of the World’s Most Famous Arena as an official franchise alongside the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, the first-ever musician to do so.
When Joel began the monthly residency back in 2014, he promised to keep it going “for as long as the demand continues.” For the next ten years—with a break due to COVID—Joel has returned to play Madison Square Garden every month, consistently breaking his own record as the artist with the most lifetime concerts at MSG. Throughout his residency, Joel has sold more than 1.6 million tickets to fans from all 50 states and 120 countries around the globe.
“I’m kind of flabbergasted that it lasted as long as it did. My team tells me that we could continue to sell tickets, but ten years, 150 shows—all right already!” Joel said when he announced the end of the residency. “I do remember the first time we played Madison Square Garden, it was the pinnacle of my career. I thought, ‘My God, I’m headlining Madison Square Garden.’ Everybody in the world knows when you play The Garden, it’s not just New York. To our audience, I want to thank them for coming to our shows for this long. It’s hard to end, even at 150 lifetime shows. I just want to thank everyone for the wonderful thing that’s happened here.”
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