| Concert Review of Billy Joel at American Airlines Arena on Mon Feb 12, 2007 |
| Event Date |
| Mon Feb 12, 2007 |
| Source |
| Miami Herald |
| Concert Review Preview |
| It's still rock 'n' roll to electric Billy Joel BY MICHAEL HAMERSLY This time it didn't rain on the Piano Man -- it merely rained on fans trying to get to the venue. Eight days after performing the national anthem soaking wet before Super Bowl XLI at Dolphin Stadium, Billy Joel had the near-capacity crowd at downtown Miami's AmericanAirlines Arena in a New York state of mind Monday night with a lively two-hour-plus tour through many of his greatest hits. After a half-hour wait for the straggling crowd to grow beyond half-full -- it might sound like a lame excuse, but it was actually true -- the stage floor opened up, a baby grand piano rose, Joel hammered out the rapid-fire riffs to Prelude/Angry Young Man, and the night was suddenly electric. Joel, decked out in his trademark jeans and black sport coat, was in a jovial mood, mugging to the crowd and playing with the vocal phrasing of the next hit, the elegant yet muscular My Life. ''Hi, I'm Billy's dad,'' he joked beforehand. ``Billy's on his way.'' Before launching into 1971's Everybody Loves You Now, Joel acknowledged the poor souls in the nosebleed section, thanking them for buying seats ''way up in Fort Lauderdale'' and cracking, ``I really need the money now.'' At 57, Joel's voice is a marvel, having lost little power or range over his four decades as a performer. He seemed to draw energy from his excellent band: The jazzy Zanzibar allowed Carl Fischer to show off his Maynard Ferguson-like prowess on the trumpet; Joel and Mark Rivera enjoyed an extended vocal-saxophone banter on New York State Of Mind; and almost the entire crowd sang along to Movin' Out (Anthony's Song), with three harmonizing saxophones at the end drawing huge cheers.. |
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| User Comments |
| Electric!! |
| His vocals were unbelievable. His band was incredible. I loved the show! |
| In Miami, he gave the finest performance I've ever seen by any entertainer in the last 20 years. Maybe it was because his mother and wife were there that night. A++++ show. |
| We had excellent seats right behind the stage. I thought Billy and the band were really in to the show and they looked like they were having a great time, which made it more fun to watch. We had a great group of New Yorkers right in front of us that took some excellent photos and had a blast dancing and singing. A show is always better when you have a good crowd around you. |
| Terrific |
| Excellent show...Billy Joel has a lot of passion for his music...has lots of humor too.. |
| wow..wonderful to see he reaches all age groups...and it was a giant sing along....majority of people knew every word to every song..he would stop singing for a moment and the crowed kept singing without missing a beat ..it was amazing.... |
| My wife and I were behind the stage. Excellent show especially when he sang "Zanzibar" from my favorite album, "52nd Street". He played hit songs but not all of them. Loved the part when his roadie came out. Yes, I agree Billy Joel is funny. I wish he can tour and just sing b-sides and non-hits from his albums. |
| We had great seats right behind the stage. The concert was even better than I expected. Billy Joel and his band had such great energy and so did the crowd. I can't wait to see him again. |
| My first musical memory was of me at age 4 singing along to a tape player blaring "It's still rock n roll to me"...I've always enjoyed Billy and his music but as I've gotten older, I've really come to appreciate his talent...As a child I sang the words to his songs without knowing the meaning...As an adult I cherish every story told by one of the worlds most talented entertainers...On 2/12/07 I attended my very first Billy concert in Miami and despite the rain, parking issues and unfriendly AAA staff, I had one of the best nights of my life...I will surely be in attendance for any future performance in my area |
| Go Billy Go Billy Go Billy~~~ |
| I have to say that i've seen billy joel perform numerous times but the energy at this last concert was awesome... I can honestly say that today, friday (4 days after the concert) I am still on a billy joel high. The previous concert was honestly for the true billy joel fans cause it was more about the less popular songs but more songs that he enjoyed writing and loves playing. This concert was all about his hits... My favorite song is Vienna and I was thrilled that he played it I got so excited I almost cried. Definitely worth every penny and he proves as always that he is a timeless entertainer/performer. |
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