Photos and Review by Ilya Mirman
Show photos HERE
In what is becoming an awesome summer tradition, Billy Joel played a spectacular set to a joyous crowd in Boston’s iconic Fenway Park. This was Joel’s third year in a row, and with the help of his 8-piece band he knocked it out of the park (#cornypun).
Starting with a rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” Joel was playful, respecting the venue he was at, but also working in some Yankees/Sox rivalry into his banter. Quickly transitioning into “Angry Young Man”, Billy drove the pace higher yet with “Pressure.” And for the next two hours, the Piano Man delivered hit after hit. Whether you grew up with Joel or developed a love for his music after he stopped writing (it’s been decades since his last album), the night was a special one regardless of whether nostalgia was a factor in your attendance.
The backing band is an impressive one, and Joel made sure to highlight each musician and give them an opportunity to showcase their talents. One very special treat was having guitarist Mike DelGuidice sing “Nessun dorma” (an aria from the last act of Puccini’s Turandot). As one of the best-known tenor arias in opera, it’s been sung by opera’s giants such as Pavarotti and Placido Domingo. Suffice it to say, DelGuidice did the song justice. (And hey, aside from probably every Queen concert – when was the last time you heard killer opera at a rock show?)
Though Joel spent much of the time behind the piano, he did get up and play guitar for a good part of the 6-song encore, starting off with “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” (As much as I love his piano songs, I’ve always enjoyed the more guitar-based songs as well, and they would have been sorely missed if not played.)
Joel is still selling out giant arenas, sounds terrific, and shows no signs of slowing down. Here’s hoping he’ll put out another album, and return to Fenway Park next summer.
Setlist:
- Take Me Out to the Ball Game
- Angry Young Man
- Pressure
- Dirty Water (The Standells cover)
- My Life
- Big Man on Mulberry Street
- Nessun dorma (Giacomo Puccini cover)
- The Entertainer
- Vienna
- Root Beer Rag
- Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
- New York State of Mind
- The Downeaster Alexa
- Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
- And So It Goes
- Allentown
- She’s Always a Woman
- Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond cover)
- Sometimes a Fantasy
- Don’t Ask Me Why
- The River of Dreams
- Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
- Piano Man
- We Didn’t Start the Fire
- Uptown Girl
- It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
- Big Shot
- You May Be Right
- Only the Good Die Young