Now I Introduce My Hero...Billy Joel
 
 
On September 23, 1993, I went with my friends Brian, Megan, and Maureen to a concert that changed my life. The Billy Joel River of Dreams concert. He opened with the song "Matter of Trust". When I heard that first..."A One, a Two, a One, Two, Three, Four!" I was captivated. Never to return from Billydom! I was drawn in immediately. When he returned to the stage for his encore wearing a Phillies baseball hat...I decided that he was by far the best performer who ever lived. Then, the music for "Captain Jack" started playing, the Philadelphia crowd went wild. I have since learned that Philly is the only place that Billy plays that song. When he was just starting out, and didn't have much faith in his future career, WMMR 93.3 FM...Philly started playing a live stereo recording of a concert that Billy gave them...they played "Captain Jack", and made Philly all fans of his. He then signed a record contract, release his second album, "Piano Man"...without realizing what he had started. He is now a legend, and everyone knows him as "The Piano Man". For me, that is such a sad song. He always ends his concerts with it...to me it means "THE END". So, whenever I hear it, I feel sad. Well, on that September night in 1993, when I heard him play...and the audience sing "Piano Man", it was the start of a love that is incomprehensible to most people I know. He is my favorite, and I will always respect his music, his beliefs, and his incredible compositions.  

 
 
 
These are the Ticket Stubs From the 3 Times I Have Seen Billy In Concert
 
The first ticket is from the "River of Dreams" tour that I mentioned above. The second is from the Billy Joel and Elton John "Face to Face" tour. I saw that on the second night of the entire tour in Philly. What a great night. It was in Veterans Stadium where the Eagles and the Phillies play. The place was filled. My friend, Sharon, and I were seated on the 500 level. The first row directly across from the stage. In the middle of the concert, Liberty DeVito got very sick, and had to stop playing...for those of you who have no idea who I am talking about, Liberty is Billy's drummer...So, Elton's drummer had to go on as a replacement. Billy made jokes that he must have eaten a bad cheesteak. Actually, he had bad shell fish. That was an incredible concert. Especially when they performed eachothers songs and when they did songs together.
 
The third ticket is from a Question and Answer session that Billy did at the University of South Florida. Three hours of Billy alone on a stage with a piano, a keyboard, and a guitar. That was Heaven! The audience was able to ask him questions, and he would answer them and play music. Since Billy had stopped doing regular tours, Liberty had retired and moved to Florida. He was there that night, sitting in the audience. At one point, Billy called him on stage to help answer a question. They were really funny together. I sat in the 11th row. Close enough to see Billy's facial expressions. That was awesome!
 
I want him to come to the University of Tampa, so that I can work back stage, and meet him...well, Greg Brady came here, so why not Billy Joel?
 
 
 
 

 

Other Billy Joel sites on the web...

 
 
Turnstiles:  This is THE best Billy site on the web.  Todd has done an excellent job with it. 
We Didn't Start the Fire: A Stream of Conciousness History of Post War America: This is a written out page of the song We Didn't start the fire. Most of the words are linked to pages on the informaion in the lyric. 
Sony's Billy Joel Page: Here is a place that you can order Billy Merchandise. 
Billy Joel - Shades of Grey: Pictures and other stuff to download. 
Billy Joel - The Prism Gallery : This is a cool page with music in the background. 
Billy Joel [Dan Goodspeed]: This is where I got some of my pictures...but there used to be more. 
The Piano Man: Here is a page with a list of lyrics, and votes for best of Billy. 
The Ultimate Billy Joel Page: Yet another page on my hero. Contains links, lyrics, photos, and more. 
And So it Goes: Another cool page... 
The WM Piano Man Page: Once more.... 
Welcome to Zanzibar: The origional Billy Joel page. 
The Billy Joel FAQ page.: If you have ever wondered things about the master, you will probably find your answers here. 
    
    
 
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