He’s no longer in a “New York State of Mind.”
Billy Joel and Madison Square Garden Entertainment announced at a press conference Thursday that the singer will end his record-breaking residency in July 2024.
After 10 years, Joel, 74, will be “Movin’ Out” of the iconic New York arena. The first of his final 10 shows will be on October 20, 2023.
His final show in July 2024 will mark his 150th concert at the Garden, after playing a show there every month since January 2014 and performing 90 consecutive times.
“There’s only one thing that’s more New York than Billy Joel — and that’s a Billy Joel concert at MSG,” Mayor Eric Adams said at the press conference. “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.”
Billy Joel wipes tears during the announcement to end his performance residency at Madison Square Garden.REUTERS/Brendan McDermidMSG CEO James Dolan added, “Billy Joel’s franchise run has made history – not only for Madison Square Garden, but also for the music industry overall.”
“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,” Dolan continued.
Though he’s ending his iconic residency, a representative for the singer told the New York Times that he is not retiring.
Billy Joel and Madison Square Garden Entertainment announced at a press conference Thursday that the singer will end his record-breaking residency in July 2024.REUTERS/Brendan McDermidJoel’s first-ever performance at the Garden was on December 14, 1978, in the wake of the success of his fifth studio album, “The Stranger.”
The Piano Man currently holds MSG’s only two performance-related records, including “Most Lifetime Performances By Any Artist,” currently at 136 shows, and “Most Consecutive Performances By Any Artist,” currently at 90 shows, according to ABC 7.
He first broke the record for “Most Consecutive Performances By Any Artist” at MSG in 2006 with 12 performances — before beating his own record in January 2015 and continuing to keep the title. The record for “Lifetime Performances” was awarded to him in July 2015 with his 65th-lifetime show.
Billy Joel’s final show in July 2024 will mark his 150th concert at the Garden.Billy Joel His 100th-lifetime performance at the Garden took place in July 2018, and to commemorate the day, then-Governor Andrew Cuomo declared July 18, 2018 as “Billy Joel Day” in the State of New York.
Joel has sold 1.6 million tickets throughout the course of his residency, which he began with the promise that it would go on “as long as the demand continues.”
