After nearly a decade, Billy Joel’s residency at Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York is coming to an end. The 74-year-old musician announced at a press conference this month that his last show at MSG will be held in July 2024.
Since 2014, Joel has performed once a month at The Garden, creating a lifetime experience for New Yorkers and visitors to the Big Apple. The last shows of Billy Joel’s residency will kick off on Oct. 20, 2023, and run through to July 2024. Due to overwhelming demand, the singer added an additional MSG show later this fall on Nov. 22.
The event will mark Joel’s 142nd-lifetime show at the historic New York venue. Madison Square Garden CEO James Dolan acknowledged the end of this journey in a June Billboard article. He stated that “…Billy’s music has defined our city and brought us together. On behalf of 8.5 million New Yorkers, congratulations, Billy, on a historic run of sold-out shows at MSG…”
A Lifetime at The Garden
In December 2013, Billy Joel was introduced as the first music franchise at Madison Square Garden, aka “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” From his first concert at the venue in 1978, Joel’s residency consisted of monthly shows starting in January 2014. With upwards of 100 performances, Billy Joel sold out 12 consecutive shows in this decade of greatness and was honored with a banner at The Garden. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo even declared July 18, 2018, as “Billy Joel Day” in New York state, commemorating Billy Joel’s 100th-lifetime performance at MSG.
With shows featuring hit songs like “Uptown Girl,” “Just the Way You Are” and “Piano Man,” Joel has created a record-breaking legacy to add to his many accomplishments. By 2015, he earned the honor of “most consecutive performances by any artist” as well as “most lifetime performances by any artist.” The Long Island native’s residency at The Garden became a staple for the best New York City experience.
Why Madison Square Garden?
Born in the Bronx and raised on Long Island, Billy Joel is more than familiar with New York City streets. Joel recalled his first time visiting the venue in a 2021 USA TODAY interview. His parents brought him to see Gene Autry and to him “It seemed like the biggest place I could ever imagine.” The decision to reside at MSG came as the singer was recovering from hip surgery. Barring a few one-off concerts, Joel hadn’t done a major tour since 2010. In a 2014 Billboard interview, he stated that he “didn’t really start thinking about working again until I played at the 12-12-12 concert for Hurricane Sandy Relief at the Garden.” After this, MSG contacted Joel’s agent to set up a series of shows at The Garden. Joel readily agreed saying, “‘hmm, that’s kinda cool… all I gotta do is commute.’”
See The Piano Man Live
As The Garden part ways with Billy Joel, the singer will finish up his Two Icons, One Night Tour with Stevie Nicks. The tour has scheduled dates in cities like Philadelphia, Penn., Kansas City, Mo., and Columbus, Ohio. The final stop of this 2023 tour is scheduled for Dec. 8 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz. Billy Joel will also put on a solo show on July 7 at Hyde Park in London. This will be his only stop in Europe for the year.
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