“It’s been 10 years,” Billy Joel told the crowd at Madison Square Garden this past May. “I don’t want to outstay my welcome.” That’s the singer’s modest explanation for why he’s ending “Billy Joel at the Garden,” his long-running residency that began Jan.
27, 2014. After a decade of playing one show per month (save for one missed gig due to illness and an 18-month shutdown during the pandemic), Joel will close out his run on July 25 — which also marks his 150th lifetime show at the famed venue. Along the way, Joel repeatedly broke the record for most appearances at the Garden by a single artist, a record he’s likely to hold for a very long time.
The numbers, however, can’t sum up what Joel’s shows have meant to his fans. They clearly came to “forget about life for a while,” as Joel sang nightly in his signature tune “Piano Man.” Nostalgia also played a part: Joel turned 75 this year, and his fans have generally aged along with him.
Boasting more than 30 hits in the Top 40 — including three No. 1s — Joel is a one-man jukebox for those who remember the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s. (It's worth noting, too, that every residency show was a sell-out.
) Joel's concert career isn't over. He still has a handful of U.S.
dates scheduled, some with Sting and at least one with Rod Stewart. And as Joel recently reassured his Garden faithful, “there’s no reason we can’t come back here.” Here are 20 memorable moments from Joel’s Madison Square .