Billy Joel, who hasn’t performed live since announcing in May that he’d been diagnosed with a rare brain disorder, will be saluted by a star-studded lineup of artists at a special tribute show in New York City in 2026. Joel has been announced as the subject of the 21st annual installment of the “Music Of” tribute concert series organized by New York-based entrepreneur Michael Dorf.
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The event traditionally is held at the historic Carnegie Hall, and features about 20 musicians playing songs from the catalog of one legendary music star, band, or songwriter. Next year’s concert, “The Music of Billy Joel,” is scheduled for March 12 at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium. An initial list of performers is expected to be announced soon.
All net proceeds raised by the show benefit music-education programs for underserved youth “in New York City and beyond.”
Various VIP packages named after well-known Joel songs can be purchased now at MusicOf.org. General admission tickets for the concert will go on sale on November 4 at CarnegieHall.org.
More About Michael Dorf and the “Music Of” Series
Dorf is a businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who founded the New York City club the Knitting Factory and the City Winery chain of restaurants and performance venues.
The “Music Of” benefit concert series was launched in 2004 with a tribute to Joni Mitchell. To date, the events have raised a total of more than $1.8 million.
Last year’s concert paid tribute to Patti Smith. It included performances by Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, The Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs, Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O, The National’s Matt Berninger, Johnny Depp, Maggie Rogers, and Smith herself. In addition, Scarlett Johansen, Sean Penn, and director Jim Jarmusch read poems by Patti.
Other subjects of previous the tribute events have included Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Paul Simon, R.E.M., Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, David Bowie, Prince, Van Morrison, Neil Young, and Aretha Franklin.
Other Billy Joel News
Joel last played a concert in February 2025, in Uncasville, Connecticut. During the show’s encore, Billy appeared to lose his balance and took a hard fall. In March, The Piano Man announced he was postponing a series of scheduled concerts because of an unspecified medical condition and because he needed time to recover from a recent operation.
Then, in May, Joel revealed that he was canceling all of his concerts because he’d been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a disorder where excess cerebrospinal fluid collects in the brain.
In July, Billy reported that he was feeling good, although his condition continued to affect his balance.
In other news, Joel will be releasing the archival concert album Live from Long Island as a stand-alone three-LP vinyl set on November 28 as part of the 2025 Record Store Day Black Friday event. The album was recorded in December 1982 during Joel’s Nylon Curtain tour at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Live from Long Island was previously available as part of Billy’s 2023 box set The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 2.
(Photo by Myrna M. Suarez/Getty Images)
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