Billy Joel Ends Residency With 150th MSG Concert

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Billy Joel at the final performance of his MSG residency, July 25, 2024

More than eight months after announcing the final show of his residency at Madison Square Garden, Billy Joel closed the historic run on Thursday (July 25, 2024) with a 25-song set. The concert marked his 150th lifetime performance of his marvelous catalog at the World’s Most Famous Arena. Pollstar, which tracks such things, estimates that the residency grossed more than $260 million and was seen by nearly two million people.

That afternoon, sellers of verified resale seats on Ticketmaster for the 20th row on the floor were asking $2463 each, though there were others available on the side, two levels up, for $833. For this night, as has been a frequent aspect of the ongoing run, Joel was joined by none other than Axl Rose who lent his vocals to three tracks including “Live and Let Die.” And on “My Life,” Joel’s youngest daughters, Della and Remy,” appeared on stage. (Watch below.)

Joel, who turned 75 on May 9, 2024, has enjoyed a remarkable career that includes 13 Top 10 singles (and 23 that went Top 20). Joel hasn’t had a Top 20 hit or released a pop album since 1993’s River of Dreams. [In 2024, he did, however, release his first new single in nearly two decades, “Turn the Lights Back On,” to great acclaim.]

On this evening, Joel fittingly began the performance with “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway).”

Joel’s history with the Garden began with his first performance on December 14, 1978. He was just 29 years-old. In 2006, he set the house record for most consecutive performances by any artist with twelve shows. To commemorate the historic moment, a banner stating “Joel – 12” was raised to The Garden rafters, making him the first entertainer in the venue’s history to earn the honor.

In December 2013, Joel was named the Garden’s first music franchise, joining the ranks of the storied venue’s other original franchises – the New York Knicks and New York Rangers. The record-breaking residency began in January 2014 with Joel playing one show every month at The Garden for, as Joel said at the time, “as long as the demand continues.” In January 2015, Joel broke his own record of the “most consecutive performances by any artist” with the 13th show of the residency and a new banner was raised to The Garden’s rafters. In July 2015, with his 65th lifetime show, Joel broke another record for the “most lifetime performances by any artist,” for which another banner was raised. On this Thursday night, Jimmy Fallon presented Joel with the latest banner to indicate the newest accomplishment of 150.

In July 2018, to commemorate his 100th lifetime performance at the venue, then Governor Andrew M. Cuomo officially proclaimed July 18, 2018 “Billy Joel Day” in the State of New York in honor of Joel’s extraordinary history of leadership and contributions to the music industry and New York State. The 100th lifetime performance was one for the ages – with longtime Columbia Records labelmate Bruce Springsteen joining Joel on stage to celebrate the milestone. A multitude of other surprise guests have joined him on stage throughout the course of the 11-year run including John Fogerty, Billy Gibbons, Brian Johnson, John Mellencamp, Olivia Rodrigo, Paul Simon, and more. [Read Best Classic Bands’ feature story on the subject here.]

The main set closed with his first signature song, “Piano Man,” with accompaniment by most of the audience.

Throughout the course of his legendary run, tickets have been sold to fans from all 50 states and more than 120 countries – further establishing Joel’s status as a global icon.Joel also performed alongside other music greats at two of Madison Square Garden’s most extraordinary benefit concerts – “12-12-12, The Concert For Sandy Relief,” which raised awareness and money for those affected by Hurricane Sandy, and “The Concert for New York City,” which was held to help aid 9/11 victims and heroes.

“Uptown Girl” was one of five encores.

Though the monthly residency has ended, Joel told the crowd, “We’ll come back.”

Billy Joel, Madison Square Garden, July 25, 2024, Setlist
Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
Pressure
The Entertainer
Zanzibar
Vienna
My Life
An Innocent Man
The Downeaster “Alexa”
Don’t Ask Me Why
New York State of Mind
Allentown
This Is the Time
Live and Let Die
Highway to Hell
Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
Only the Good Die Young
The River of Dreams
Nessun dorma
Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
Piano Man

Encore
We Didn’t Start the Fire
Uptown Girl
It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
Big Shot
You May Be Right

Watch the show closer, again with Axl Rose.

Tickets to see Billy Joel elsewhere in 2024, are available here and here. Joel’s albums have been released in recent vinyl collections here.