The new exhibit, Billy Joel — My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey, opened to the public on Friday (November 25), although the legendary singer/songwriter got to check out the attraction earlier this week during a special pre-opening visit, Billboard reports. While there, Joel shared a little update about his plans after he winds down his long-running monthly residency at New York’s Madison Square Garden in July 2024.
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“I’m not leaving [touring],” he revealed to the attendees. “We’ll still do the work—we’re just not going to keep working in the same place. We’re going to different places.”
[RELATED: Say Goodbye to MSG: Billy Joel Announces Final Residency Show at Famed NYC Venue]
Joel expanded on his post-residency plans a bit during an interview with Fox 5 New York while he was visiting the exhibit, which is located at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHoF) in Stony Brook, New York.
“It doesn’t mean I’m giving up,” he insisted. “It doesn’t mean I’m stopping performing. We’ll do more gigs.”
Asked if he might consider playing at the new Las Vegas venue the Sphere, where U2 currently is playing a residency, Joel said, “We might do that. We’re talking about it. I have to go to the Sphere and check out what it really is all about, ’cause I’m not sure how we bring programming for that, but we’d have to do that.”
Reflecting on how felt about seeing his life celebrated at the exhibit, he told the crowd, “It’s a little overwhelming. Have you ever found yourself surrounded by you? It’s kind of a nightmare,” adding, “I guess I’ve lived.”
As previously reported, the Billy Joel — My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey exhibit features a bevy of memorabilia items from throughout Joel’s life, a lot of which was donated by Joel from his personal archives. Among the items are awards, recordings, instruments, photos, videos, and much more.
According to Billboard, some of the exhibit’s highlights include a program from Joel’s first piano recital, when he was 12 years old; instruments from his early band The Hassles; gold and platinum album plaques he earned; and a grand piano he played while on his Face to Face co-headlining tour with Elton John.
Photos and videos clips from Joel’s visit to the exhibit have been posted at LIMEHoF’s social media pages. Tickets for Billy Joel – My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey are available now and can be purchased at LIMusicHallofFame.org.
Meanwhile, as previously reported, Joel’s Madison Square Garden residency is scheduled to wrap up on July 25, 2024. He also has shows scheduled at the venue leading up to his final residency date. Joel will play the Garden on December 19, January 11, February 9, March 28, April 26, May 9, and June 8, all of which are sold out. At the May 9 concert, Joel will celebrate his 75th birthday.
Joel’s next scheduled concert is a December 8, co-headlining performance with Stevie Nicks in Phoenix. Joel has one other show lined up with Nicks, on March 9, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. His tour schedule also includes a New Year’s Eve concert in Elmont, New York; a January 24 performance in Tokyo; and co-headlining dates with Sting on February 24 in Tampa, Florida, and April 13 in San Diego. Visit BillyJoel.com to check out his full list of concerts.
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