Billy Joel Andrew Murfett, Reviewer November 13, 2006
There was an unambiguous, old-fashioned charm to Billy Joel's first Melbourne shows in almost nine years.
There was an unambiguous, old-fashioned charm to Billy Joel's first Melbourne shows in almost nine years. Unlike most nostalgic tours, there was no bothersome new album to plug - just the umpteenth "greatest hits" compilation.
There were no big-screens either; just a professionally staged, no-frills arena show, brimming with AM radio hits. Well, there was the occasionally spinning piano, which swivelled on stage to save us from viewing Joel's vast bald spot.
While musicals featuring compositions from artists such as John Lennon and Bob Dylan have failed recently, Movin' Out, a Twyla Tharp-created dance narrative set to Joel's songs, was a Tony Award-winning three-year-long Broadway hit. If nothing else, it emphasises the enduring appeal of his immense back catalogue.
His decision to again tour Australia came after a staggeringly successful US tour. It's not that he needs the money, either. One of Joel's New York residences is on the market for $37 million-plus. These days, the 57-year-old moves only a little slower about the stage, and after a slightly sluggish opening stanza, he kicked into gear.
"We're getting all of the shitty albums out of the way first," he solicitously noted.
The sold-out throng was far from an exclusively baby-boomer crowd. Youngsters weaned on Joel by classic hit stations also shamelessly sang along. They were given some outstanding highlights, too. Joel's excellent backing band helped supply superb renditions of New York State of Mind, Allen Town, An Innocent Man and We Didn't Start The Fire, among others. One surprise in a show unsurprisingly short on them, was a roadie bestowed the charming moniker of "Chainsaw" and who sported a generously sized abdomen, providing a bizarre, but first-rate high point with a roaringly earnest reading of AC/DC's Highway To Hell.
The conclusion, which incorporated three encores, was charmingly old-fashioned. As Joel soaked up the applause and feigned modestly, he could not conceal his genuine gratification.
He wrapped up, of course, with his signature song - and one of pop's guilty pleasures, Piano Man. There was no hint of pretension as 15,000 fervently sang along.
