Growing up in Long Island, Billy Joel found himself taking piano lessons due to his mother pressuring him. Little did he know, those lessons would go on to define his career. With hits like “Honesty”, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”, and “Movin’ Out”, the singer not only dominated the charts but the music industry. First stepping into the industry back in the 1960s, Joel continued to perform throughout each decade. And while CBS hoped to honor the star by broadcasting Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden, the network accidentally cut the special short. Although airing an encore on April 19, why wait when you can watch his performance online?
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For fans of Joel, they seemed to enjoy the special broadcasted by CBS as the singer took fans on a journey through his career in the spotlight. The only problem – when it came time to end the show, Joel decided to perform his iconic song “Piano Man.” Again, the broadcast seemed to be going perfectly until about 2 minutes into his song, the show went black. Not knowing what happened, fans demanded an explanation, causing CBS to write, “A network programming timing error ended last night’s Billy Joel special approximately two minutes early in the Eastern and Central Time Zones. We apologize to Mr. Joel, his fans, our affiliated stations, and our audience whose viewing experience was interrupted during the last song.”
[RELATED: How To Watch ‘Billy Joel: The 100th’ Concert Special—Re-Airing After CBS Backlash]
Why Wait To Watch Billy Joel Perform ‘Piano Man’?
With only the last song interrupted, CBS wanted to make it right with another broadcast, which will air on Friday. But again – why wait? The only song that fans missed was “Piano Man.” And given that he performed at Madison Square Garden, it just so happened that the song was uploaded on YouTube.
While watching Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden is a must for fans, for those only looking for his finale – the video above is that performance. Fans filled the comment section with praise. “Thank you for sharing this. The network in this area cut this mid-song for ads and local news. Much appreciated.” Another person added, “ I thought I was watching this concert live the entire night….this was from 2 weeks ago, wow! Makes CBS cutting it short a little less harsh.”
(Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images)
