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Billy Joel said goodbye to his local concert arena Tuesday night in grand fashion, and with some help from Paul Simon, Kevin James and the governor of New York.
Billy performed the last show at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island, NY before it closes down for a major overhaul. It was the Piano Man’s 32nd show at the venue, and he packed his set list full of hits that were either about Long Island, or name checked local places, such as “No Man’s Land,” “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” “The Ballad of Billy the Kid,” “The Downeaster ‘Alexa,'” and “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway).”
According to Newsday, Billy also performed some rarely-heard tunes, such as “Until the Night,” which he says he debuted at the venue back in 1978, and “I’ve Loved These Days.” He also played “Captain Jack,” a song he usually only performs in Philadelphia, so that, as Newsday points out, he could sing the line about taking you to “your special island” — Long Island, of course.
Billy’s pal Paul Simon joined him for three songs — “Late In the Evening,” “Me and Julio Down by the School Yard,” and “Homeward Bound,” while actor Kevin James popped up to play the intro to “Miami 2017.” James was also present at Madison Square Garden earlier this summer, when Billy broke the record for most solo shows by a single performer at that venue.
Billy was introduced onstage by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo who, as Newsday reports, was booed, likely because the crowd was unhappy that the venue was shutting down and that their beloved Islanders hockey team, whose home base was the Coliseum, will be moving to Brooklyn. Cuomo also officiated Billy’s wedding in July to his wife Alexis, who’s expecting their first child together this month.
While onstage, Billy addressed the current disagreement by local legislators over whether or not to name a local stretch of road after him. While some are in favor, others feel it should be a posthumous honor. “If they don’t name a road after me, that’s fine,” said Billy. “I’d rather be alive.”
While some fans had hoped that Billy would bring out his pal Paul McCartney to perform — and even teased the crowd by playing “A Hard Day’s Night,” — the former Beatle did not appear.
Here’s the set list from Tuesday night’s show:
“Movin’ Out”
“Zanzibar”
“Summer, Highland Falls”
“Everybody Loves You Now”
“No Man’s Land”
“Just the Way You Are”
“The Entertainer”
Medley: “I Do/The Lion Sleeps Tonight/In the Still of the Night/For the Longest Time”
“The Downeaster ‘Alexa'”
“Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” (w/Paul Simon)
“Homeward Bound” (w/Paul Simon)
“Late in the Evening” (w/Paul Simon)
“Ballad of Billy the Kid”
“New York State of Mind”
“Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)”
“Until the Night”
“Allentown”
“Goodnight Saigon”
“Keeping the Faith”
“She’s Always a Woman”
“Battle Hymn of the Republic”/”My Life”
“Captain Jack”
“I’ve Loved These Days”
“River of Dreams”/”Hard Day’s Night”
“Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”
“Piano Man”
ENCORES:
“It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me”
“Uptown Girl”
“Big Shot”
“You May Be Right”/”Rock and Roll” (Led Zeppelin cover)
“Only the Good Die Young”
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