Billy Joel will have some familiar faces performing in his honor at the recently announced “Music Of” benefit tribute concert taking place on March 12, 2026, at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium. The Piano Man’s longtime backing group has been announced as the house band for the show.
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The eight-member ensemble features keyboardist/music director David Rosenthal; multi-instrumentalists Mark Rivera, Crystal Taliefero, and Carl Fischer; guitarists Tommy Byrnes and Mike DelGuidice; bassist Andy Cichon; and drummer Chuck Burgi. As previously reported, the concert also will feature 20 as-yet-unannounced guest performers. The initial lineup of the show will be unveiled in late November.
The concert saluting Joel will be the 21st annual installment of the “Music Of” tribute show series, which is organized by New York-based entrepreneur Michael Dorf.
The annual event traditionally is held at Carnegie Hall, and showcases songs from the catalog of one legendary music star, band, or songwriter. All net proceeds raised by the concert benefit music-education programs for underserved youth “in New York City and beyond.”
General admission tickets for the concert are on sale now at CarnegieHall.org. In addition, a variety of VIP packages named after well-known Joel songs can be purchased at MusicOf.org.
Some of the artists who have been the subjects of past “Music Of” concerts have performed at the events. Most recently, Patti Smith, who was saluted in March 2025, sang two songs and recited a poem at the event.
Dorf Says He Hopes Joel Will Perform at the 2026 Tribute
Joel hasn’t performed in public since a February 2025 concert in Uncasville, Connecticut. In May, he announced that he’d been diagnosed with a rare brain disorder, and was forced to cancel all of his forthcoming scheduled 2025 and 2026 concerts.
That being said, Dorf explained in a post of his Substack page that he hopes Joel will be able to take part in the 2026 tribute concert.
“[W]ho knows, maybe [Joel] will show up,” Dorf wrote. “He has been public about his health issues and we NEVER insist on the honoree showing up. So, his appearing is NOT planned.”
He then noted, “[The tribute show is] about the songs, the 20 artists interpreting in their own voices the 20 songs. It’s about raising money for a good cause and producing a seamless concert that people love. But at the same time, we don’t want to just cover the material, we seek to work with the honoree to make sure they are aware, they approve, [and] they sometimes make a few suggestions.”
Michael added, “[A]nd sometimes, like Bruce [Springsteen] or David Byrne or [R.E.M.], they show up and do the encore. Or maybe they watch from the sidelines. But, the biggest honor for me [is] to be able to see them and the audience enjoying our work of their work.”
Dorf on What Inspired Him to Choose Joel’s Music for the 2026 Tribute
Also in his Substack post, Dorf explained why he chose Joel as the subject of the 2026 tribute show. Michael said the inspiration came from watching the “eye-opening” two-part documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, which premiered on HBO Max in July.
“And So It Goes is a two-part insight to his exploration of love, loss and his personal struggles of songwriting,” Dorf noted. “Great interviews with ex-wives, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, and a bunch of previously unseen archival footage. You fall all in love again with his hits, his so many hits and where they came from. Most importantly, you feel like you get to know Billy, you really like him. So much so, I got the initial urge to find a way to meet him, I was a new groupie!”
He continued, “This was the catalyst for me to reach out to some of [Joel’s] long-time team and get permission to have him become our next honoree. They loved the idea of him being part of the series. We’ve had Bruce, Paul [McCartney], [Bob] Dylan, Joni [Mitchell], Prince, The [Rolling] Stones, Paul Simon, and the great songwriters of our era in the last 20 years, why not Billy. It’s his time. No more practice required.”
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.
(Photo by Myrna M. Suarez/Getty Images)
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