BILLY JOEL'S
HISTORIC SOLD-OUT MONTHLY RESIDENCY AT MADISON SQUARE
GARDEN WILL CONCLUDE IN JULY 2024 WITH HIS
150TH LIFETIME PERFORMANCE
First Of Final 10 MSG Residency Shows
Announced – October 20,
2023
Tickets On Sale Friday, June 9
NEW
YORK, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Madison
Square Garden Entertainment Corp. ("MSG Entertainment") and
legendary musician and MSG franchise Billy
Joel announced today that after ten extraordinary years,
Joel's historic franchise run at The Garden will conclude with his
150th lifetime show at the venue in July 2024. With this also comes the announcement
that the first of the final ten shows in his record-breaking
residency at The World's Most Famous Arena will take place on
October 20, 2023.
"I'm kind of flabbergasted that it lasted as long as it did. My
team tells me that we could continue to sell tickets, but ten
years, 150 shows – all right already!" said Billy Joel. "I do remember the first time we
played Madison Square Garden, it was the pinnacle of my career. I
thought, 'My God, I'm headlining Madison Square Garden.' Everybody
in the world knows when you play The Garden, it's not just
New York. To our audience, I want
to thank them for coming to our shows for this long. It's hard to
end, even at 150 lifetime shows. I just want to thank everyone for
the wonderful thing that's happened here."
"Billy Joel's franchise run has
made history – not only for Madison Square Garden, but also for the
music industry overall," said James L.
Dolan, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, MSG
Entertainment. "150 sold out lifetime shows is a remarkable
achievement, and speaks to Billy's extraordinary talent, beloved
catalog, and dedicated fanbase. Billy always has a home here at MSG
even though the residency is coming to an end with his
150th lifetime performance."
"There's only one thing that's more New York than Billy
Joel – and that's a Billy
Joel concert at MSG," said 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's history with Madison Square Garden began with his first
performance at The World's Most Famous Arena on December 14, 1978. In 2006, with 12 consecutive
performances, Joel set the record for "most consecutive
performances by any artist." 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 accomplish this
feat.
In December 2013, Billy Joel was named Madison Square Garden's
first-ever 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. Both of Joel's
banners continue to hang at The Garden and are replaced each month
with each performance.
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. As
part of the celebration, Joel's piano was put on display outside of
Chase Square at the Seventh Avenue entrance to The Garden. The
100th lifetime performance was one for the ages – with
Bruce Springsteen joining Joel on
stage to celebrate the milestone. A multitude of other incredible
surprise guests have joined him on stage throughout the course of
the ten-year run including Miley
Cyrus, Jimmy Fallon,
John Fogerty, Billy Gibbons, Brian
Johnson, John Mayer,
John Mellencamp, Olivia Rodrigo, Paul
Simon, and more. And, throughout the course of his legendary
run, more than 1.6 million tickets have been sold to fans from all
50 states and more than 120 countries – further establishing Joel's
status as a global icon.
In addition to his ongoing residency run, Joel has 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.
Billy Joel is one of the world's
most iconic musicians, having received The Kennedy Center Honors,
one of the United States' top
cultural awards, in December 2013. He
is also the recipient of six GRAMMY® Awards, including the
prestigious Grammy Legend Award. Joel has been inducted into the
Songwriter's Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and
has received numerous industry awards including a
TONY AWARD for "Movin' Out," a Broadway musical based on
Joel's music. For his accomplishments as a musician and as a
humanitarian, Joel was honored as the 2002 MusiCares Person Of The
Year by the MusiCares Foundation and the National Academy of
Recording Arts & Sciences.
In November 2014, Billy Joel received both The Library of Congress
Gershwin Prize for Popular Song which honors living musical
artists' lifetime achievement in promoting the genre of song as a
vehicle of cultural understanding; entertaining and informing
audiences; and inspiring new generations, and the
once-in-a-century ASCAP Centennial Award, which is presented to
American music icons in recognition of their incomparable
accomplishments in their respective music genres and beyond. In
2016, the Library of Congress selected "Piano Man" for preservation
in the National Recording Registry for its "cultural,
historic, and artistic significance."
The first of the final ten shows in Joel's MSG franchise run
will take place on October 20, 2023.
Citi cardmembers will have first access to presale tickets for
the October 20 show from Monday, June
5 at 10:00AM (ET) through
Thursday, June 8 at 10:00PM
(ET) via www.citientertainment.com. Verizon will
also offer an exclusive presale for the October show through
the customer loyalty program Verizon Up. Members will
have exclusive access to purchase presale tickets from Tuesday, June 6 at 10:00AM
(ET) through Thursday, June 8
at 10:00PM (ET). For more details and
to sign up for Verizon Up,
visit www.verizon.com. Tickets will be available for
purchase by the general public beginning at 10:00AM (ET) on Friday, June 9 via
www.ticketmaster.com. Due to congestion during the on-sale, it can
be difficult to purchase tickets right away. Please continue to
check Ticketmaster as tickets will be available throughout the day.
Tickets will also be available at the Madison Square Garden box
office on Saturday, June 10.
The concert, part of the Montefiore Concert Series, is being
promoted by MSG Entertainment in association with AEG Presents and
Q104.3 as a media partner.
For press materials, including additional information about
Billy Joel at The Garden, please
click here.
About Madison Square Garden Entertainment
Corp.
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSG
Entertainment) is a leader in live entertainment, delivering
unforgettable experiences while forging deep connections with
diverse and passionate audiences. The Company's portfolio includes
a collection of world-renowned venues – New York's Madison Square Garden, The Theater
at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and Beacon
Theatre; and The Chicago Theatre – that showcase a broad array of
sporting events, concerts, family shows, and special events for
millions of guests annually. In addition, the Company features the
original production, the Christmas Spectacular Starring the
Radio City Rockettes, which has been a holiday tradition for 89
years. More information is available at
www.msgentertainment.com.
For press inquiries, please
contact:
|
|
Billy
Joel:
|
MSG
Entertainment:
|
Claire Mercuri:
Claire@clairemercuri.com / (917) 940-2499
|
Mikyl Cordova:
mikyl.cordova@msg.com / (917) 363-8205
|
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-greatest-arena-run-of-all-time-to-come-to-an-end-301840459.html
SOURCE Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.