Billy Joel review – Seasoned showman delivers timeless classics and signature dead-pan banter

‘It’s all great fun, and it’s all precisely what you’d expect’ … Billy Joel on stage at the MCG in Melbourne. Photograph: Future Publishing/Getty Images

Walking down to the MCG, I invent names and histories for the people around me. Harry and Norm, who recently got married finally, had their first kiss to a Billy Joel song in the 70s.

Peter and Kathy are on their first proper date night post-lockdown, finally off grandkid babysitting duties. Sullen-faced Brendan is 13 and his favourite Billie is Eilish, but his dad swears he’ll like this. And me: I heard Billy Joel songs as a kid through my cool uncle, whose record collection taught me all I know about music. We could all be characters in Billy Joel songs.