Billy Joel will conclude his monthly residency at Madison Square Garden in July 2024, with his 150th lifetime performance at the venue.
“It’s hard to believe we’ve been able to do this for 10 years,” Joel said at a news conference on Thursday. “I’m now 74. I’ll be 75 next year. It seems like a nice number.”
“I’m kind of flabbergasted that it lasted as long as it did,” he added. “My team tells me that we could continue to sell tickets but 10 years, 150 shows – all right already!”
The record-breaking residency began in January 2014 with Joel playing one show every month at the Manhattan venue for, as he said at the time, “as long as the demand continues.” Every show has sold out since he began.
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. Both of Joel’s banners continue to hang at the Garden.
“There’s only one thing that’s more New York than Billy Joel – and that’s a Billy Joel concert at MSG,” said the New York City mayor, Eric Adams. “For more than 50 years, Billy’s music has defined our city and brought us together. On behalf of 8.5 million New Yorkers, congratulations Billy on a historic run of sold-out shows at MSG, and thank you for a lifetime of bringing joy to us all.”
Joel headlined Madison Square Garden for the first time in 1978. He has had 33 Top 40 hits, including three No 1s – It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me, We Didn’t Start the Fire and Tell Her About It – and four No 1 albums – 52nd Street, Glass Houses, Storm Front and River of Dreams.
He won six Grammys – as well as a Grammy Legend award in 1990 – as well as being inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992.
A representative for Joel confirmed that while he is ending his run at the Garden, he is not retiring.
Associated Press contributed to this report
