2024 has delivered some weird and wonderful matchups – from Johnny Depp paying tribute to Jeff Beck with Andrea Bocelli to Matteo Mancuso and Joe Bonamasssa trading fiery licks. Now it has seen the return of another unlikely duo: Billy Joel and Axl Rose.
The pair performed together back in 2017, taking on AC/DC’s peerless driving anthem Highway To Hell, and last night (July 25) they did it again at Madison Square Garden.
Mr. Joel even donned a Fender Stratocaster for the occasion.
The combination of single coils and a barely overdriven, possibly chorus-tinted guitar tone doesn’t exactly match up to Angus Young’s iconic SG through a Marshall stack combination – and it would be hard to imagine Bon Scott or Brian Johnson in the sparkly blazer Axl Rose wore for the performance – but it’s great entertainment.
It was the final night of the US leg of the Piano Man’s current world tour, and Joel looked to bow out in style.
Granted, Axl Rose arguably sounded better when he performed with the band proper in 2016 when he was a surprising – and impressive – stand-in for Johnson, who was suffering from hearing difficulties.
The song was preceded by another cover, a take on Paul McCartney’s Bond theme Live and Let Die, which Guns N’ Roses famously reimagined on Use Your Illusion.
Joel was back behind the keys for that track, but it’s the slightly parallel universe vibes of their Highway To Hell cover, which, going off the video footage, definitely got butts off seats, that will live longest in the memory.
“Who knew Billy could play guitar?” quipped one commenter on YouTube.
However, it must be noted that Joel stuck strictly to rhythm duties, with touring guitarist Tommy Byrnes handling the guitar solo.
The pair then made it a triple-header, closing the show with one of Billy Joel’s own, You May Be Right, to ensure the MSG finale lived up to its billing.
Now, if only we could find out where to buy one of those jackets…
