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A Brief Digression

That’s a whole lot of the Piano Man

In an unprecedented move, Billy Joel announced at a New York press conference this afternoon that he will play Madison Square Garden once a month for the indefinite future. \”Playing Madison Square Garden is an experience that never gets old,\” Joel said. \”A show a month at the Garden for as long as there\’s demand means more opportunities to connect with music fans and provides a unique and memorable show every time we play here.\”

via Billy Joel Announces Monthly Madison Square Garden Residency | Music News | Rolling Stone.

What I like most about this is that, at least theoretically, it allows Joel to really dig deep into his catalog. In previous interviews he’s spoken about kind of being over the greatest hits show, so maybe this lets him take some older, less well-known songs out of the closet and give them a new coat of paint. Not that he won’t still need to play some hits to keep people coming, but it will be the promise of hearing some rarities that will bring the more-than-casual fan coming back for repeated shows, something this concept will rely on to be successful.