In May of 2016 Billy Joel played what was at the time Safeco Field before going on an 8-year hiatus of playing Washington State. Bringing excitement for many residents who are fans of the “Piano Man” and have either had to not see him or travel to see him for the last 8 years.

“I knew I wanted to get tickets. I went to the one in Phoenix, Arizona when I turned 13. During the concert he brought his friend Chainsaw on stage, he was in cargo pants with socks and sandals, and they sang “Highway to Hell” so my expectations are a little high and I hope to see that again. We got tickets for my mom and I to go. I have been listening to him since seventh grade, and I have been listening to him since then. I want him to play Vienna because I love it. It is such a beautiful song. I am excited to see him here in Seattle and not needing to fly. It was not [hard to get tickets] because we got on Ticketmaster an hour after the presale started but there were still good seats left,” McKenna Footer said before the show. 

But on May 24, 2024, Joel returned to Seattle. The opener was Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin who did a 40-minute set of Zeppelin hits like “Over the Hills and Far Away” and “Ramble On”. They did a terrific job opening and really got the crowd’s emotions up. 

After the openers set ended, Billy Joel took the stage in Seattle for the first time in 8 years. After the lights at T-Mobile Park turned off, the crowd prepared for what would be a 21-song set with a five-song encore. The show opened with Joel playing an “Ode to Joy” intro for the theme from “The Natural”. He soon began playing “My Life” and got the crowd ready for what would soon come. After playing “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” where “Vienna” would go in the setlist Joel’s backing band began playing the first three chords of Jimi Hendrix’s “The Wind Cries Mary” and Joel begins singing along, and after that the band begins ripping into “Purple Haze” and I think that the two songs paid great homage to the late Seattle legend. The set continued with “Vienna”, and “Zanzibar” before doing another cover. This time they played “Start Me Up” by The Rolling Stones who had played Lumen Field a little over a week before his show. Jason Bonham later came back to join Joel’s band to perform “Whole Lotta Love” which showed an impressive vocal performance from one of Joel’s guitarists, Mike DelGuidice who I think did a better job than the lead singer of JBLZE, James Dylan. DelGuidice would later show another phenomenal vocal performance, singing an opera tune called “Nessun Dorma” by Giacomo Puccini that he belted out beautifully. The song felt a little weird for a Billy Joel concert, but DelGuidice did a tremendous job regardless. 

The song that most were waiting for did not come until the very end of the set. As Joel set up his harmonica the audience knew what was happening. After the intro Joel was not alone while he sang the song that gave him his nickname, “Piano Man”. Accompanied by most if not all of T-Mobile Park for most of the song. The moment was amazing, Kennedy Brewer when asked about her favorite moment at the concert said that “It was when was just the entire crowd singing the last chorus of “Piano Man”. Hearing thousands of people all in the moment and singing a song they love together never gets old,” Brewer said. 

After “Piano Man” Joel said goodnight to the audience but it felt like some of the hits were missing from the show. But he and the band returned to the stage for the hit filled encore that consisted of “We Didn’t Start The Fire”, “Uptown Girl”, “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me”, “Big Shot”, and “You May Be Right” which had a “Rock and Roll” (Led Zeppelin) interlude to end the night. The concert was amazing and showed the Billy Joel’s still got it. The band also showed some real talent that was so versatile, from playing Hendrix and Zeppelin but also improvising some parts over different songs with solos like “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” where Joel’s saxophonist Mark Rivera played such intense solos that were so cooled compared to what was put on the album. 

Hopefully, Seattle does not have to wait another 8 years before getting a tour stop from the Piano Man himself.