It’s not often that you get to experience a live performance by an artist who has soundtracked the lives of your grandparents, your parents, and yourself. Billy Joel has been on the scene for over 50 years, with a song for every era of life and an impressive collection of ever-popular songs. The ‘Piano Man’ hasn’t visited Connecticut in 17 years since his 2008 10-show residency, and with his upcoming 76th birthday, I wasn’t sure if I would ever have the opportunity to see him perform. On January 22, 2025, he returned to his beloved Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, and I was fortunate enough to find myself there. And so, seated in the middle of a row of people older than my parents, I spent Saturday night singing my heart out with one of the most legendary musicians of this lifetime.
Vibrant lights, paneled visuals, and a rotating piano platform turned Mohegan Sun Arena into a celebration of music, keeping the 10,000-seat arena on their feet and elated, song after song. Joel opened the show with “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” beginning his two-hour set with a bang. A full ensemble of percussionists, horn players, and guitarists joined along on stage, and the arena was filled with the sound of thousands of voices singing along to every word of the 1977 hit. Joel’s voice sounds just like every recorded version, and accompanied by backup vocals, the song sounded fuller and more vibrant than ever. He then launched into 1982’s “Pressure,” the track about the demands of working-class life. “All grown up with nowhere to go,” sung over the rousing synthesizer, with monotonous daily commutes displayed on the screens above.
Billy Joel joked around throughout the set, addressing the fans and transforming the arena with his casual banter. “We don’t have much new to play, so it’s the same old s—” he joked at one point, to which the audience cheered. As the piano’s platform rotated around, he would smile and wave at different sections of the audience, which was especially welcomed by those who were seated in the sections behind the stage. The whole night felt like a conversation among friends, celebrating the music we’ve all loved for so long.
Much to my surprise, the third song of the evening was my favorite from his discography. In the eighth grade, my best friend introduced me to “Vienna,” and 8 years later, I got to sing along to a live version. He opened the song, telling the crowd that the song wasn’t a hit single, but “what’s called an album track.” Switching paces, he played “The Entertainer,” “An Innocent Man,” and “Zanzibar,” and danced about from his perch by the piano.
As he introduced each song, he would tell the audience a bit about when the song came out, how well it performed, and other little fun facts. He is so outwardly passionate about music and his career, and that made my evening all the more enjoyable. The crowd sang along to classics like “New York State of Mind” and “My Life,” and even though he’s probably performed those tracks hundreds of times across his career, he seemed just as happy to share them with the audience as we were to hear them.
At various points throughout the show, ensemble members would take to the front of the stage and cover a series of other legendary tracks such as Ike & Tina Turner’s “River Deep – Mountain High” or The Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up.” This not only allowed these band members to hold the spotlight in front of such a large crowd, but it also gave Joel and the rest of the band a few minutes to rest. This was a fantastic way to make this performance accessible and ensure that everyone involved had a great time.
There wasn’t a single song that the crowd didn’t love, and with a discography as expansive as Billy Joel’s, 13 studio albums and 50 years to be exact, I’m impressed with the variety and selection for a two-hour show.
The main portion of the show wrapped up with “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” and the oh-so-fitting “Piano Man,”before Joel and company meandered off the stage with little affair. It was only a short few moments before they all ran back on stage, seemingly with twice as much energy as they left with. The encore was just as exciting as before, only this time Joel was dancing around on stage and had abandoned his piano for the final five songs. For the 5-minute-long “We Didn’t Start The Fire,” Joel picked up a shimmering blue electric guitar and sang out from a microphone at the front of the stage. For “Uptown Girl,” he slowly danced with a mic stand along with bright pink lights and barbershop-style backup singing from his band. 1980’s “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” may have been my favorite performance of the night, and Joel was seemingly just as enthusiastic. Following his mic stand spinning routines, he tossed the stand across the stage to a crew member as the song wrapped up before mock fainting onto the floor, laughing in hysterics. 1978’s “Big Shot” wrapped up with the same energy, dancing, and humor, with overdramatized singing and more dancing around the stage. The final song of the night, which peaked at #7 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1980, was “You May Be Right”—a perfect, carefree end to an extraordinary show.
Billy Joel’s love for the music was infectious, and there wasn’t a single slow point of the evening. He performed many of his greatest tracks, and the crowd’s cheers only got louder with each new song. This was a bucket list show for me, and every minute of it blew my expectations away. I’m so glad I got to see Billy Joel and forget about life for a while.
