Billy Joel concluded his Madison Square Garden residency with the 150th show. Appearances from Jimmy Fallon and Axl Rose added to the hype.
On July 25, 2024, Joel played his 150th show at the Garden. He opened the show as he does many others, with “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway),” “Pressure,” and “The Entertainer” kicking things off.
Madison Square Garden's official X (formerly Twitter) account posted a video of Fallon presenting Joel with a special banner that will hang there.
“We are witnessing history here tonight,” Fallon said. “This is the last night of your residency at Madison Square Garden, and we are honored to be here. Madison Square Garden has the Knicks, the Rangers, and Billy Joel. That's what they have here. We're lucky to have you!
“This is a legendary night because tonight is your 150th performance at Madison Square Garden, more than any artist in the world. No one has done this… We are part of history! Madison Square Garden wants to thank you — we're going to raise a banner in honor of you, and it will live in the rafters. No one but Billy Joel can do this,” he continued.
More surprises
The surprises did not stop there. Joel's daughters, Della and Remy Joel, joined him for “My Life” after “Vienna.” He then played a brief cover of the Rolling Stones' “Start Me Up.”
Later in the show, Joel performed covers of Paul McCartney and Wings' “Live and Let Die” and AC/DC's “Highway to Hell. Both were done with Rose, who previously filled in for AC/DC in 2016.
Crystal Taliefero and Mike DelGuidice also joined Joel for performances of “The River of Dreams” and “Nessun Dorma.” As the show concluded, Rose once again came to the stage to perform “You May Be Right.”
Billy Joel's residency at the Garden
Beginning on January 27, 2014, Billy Joel began his Madison Square Garden residency. He continued playing at least one show every month at the iconic New York City venue.
All great things must come to an end. At least Joel will continue to tour. He will play shows in Cardiff, United Kingdom; Cleveland, Ohio; Inglewood, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Some of these shows are co-headlining ones with the likes of Sting, Rod Stewart, and Chris Isaak.
Billy Joel's final Madison Square Garden show setlist
Below is the full setlist from Joel's July 25, 2024, show at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York.
- “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)”
- “Pressure”
- “The Entertainer”
- “Zanzibar”
- “Vienna”
- “My Life” (with Della and Remy Joel”
- “Start Me Up” (Rolling Stones cover)
- “An Innocent Man”
- “The Downeaster ‘Alexa'”
- “Don't Ask Me Why”
- “New York State of Mind”
- “Allentown”
- “This Is the Time”
- “Live and Let Die” (Paul McCartney and Wings cover, with Axl Rose)
- “Highway to Hell” (AC/DC cover, with Axl Rose)
- “Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)”
- “Only the Good Die Young”
- “The River of Dreams” (“River Deep, Mountain High” by Ike and Tina Turner sung by Crystal Taliefero)
- “Nessun Dorma” (Giacomo Puccini cover, sung by Mike DelGuidice)
- “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant”
- “Piano Man”
Encore
- “We Didn't Start the Fire”
- “Uptown Girl”
- “”It's Still Rock and Roll to Me”
- “Big Shot”
- “You May Be Right” (with Axl Rose)