Billy Joel proved that his performing days are not entirely behind him Friday night, taking the stage for two songs with a tribute band at an outdoor show in Florida’s Palm Beach County, his first time singing in front of a crowd since his touring was called off in May due to a brain disorder diagnosis affecting his balance.
Bundled up in a black cap and a winter vest, Joel got up on stage with the group Turnstiles to sing and play piano on a pair of his major hits, “Big Shot” and “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” He was joined on stage by his wife, Alexis Roderick, and introduced two young daughters, Della and Remy, who improvised dance routines throughout the crowd-rousing 12-minute cameo.
Joel reportedly asked permission to come up to join the group that is named after one of his most popular 1970s albums. “I wasn’t planning on working tonight,” he told the crowd, laughing, before launching into the first number, as seen in fan-filmed video.
The occasion was a concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of the incorporation of the village of Wellington, Florida at the town’s amphitheater. Joel has a home in the area and owns nearby Middlesea Farms.
Joel walked with the aid of a cane in taking the stage. “You want to sing it or am I gonna sing it?” the Turnstiles frontman asked as Joel sat at the keyboard.
“What are we doing?” Joel asked, making it clear he was up for handling the vocals as well as piano.
“A Billy Joel song, how about?” suggested the band member, playfully.
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“I can give it a try. I know the guy who wrote it,” Joel said with a laugh, as they launched into “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” At one point, the star needed a cue in remembering some of the legendarily voluminous lyrics, somewhere around the “Reagan… Palestine” part of the historical listmaking, but the band member obliged with a reminder, and Joel was able to continue with the tune from memory.
After a huddle on stage about what to do as a followup, the performance continued with “Big Shot.”
“I have to be dreaming this,” said the group’s usual singer, as Joel exited the stage with his family. “I’m gonna pinch myself. It had to happen sooner or later, right?… We wanna see you on stage soon.”
Joel’s May exit from touring was tied to a buildup of fluid on his brain, with a diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), for which he said he would be seeking physical therapy as well as canceling all shows indefinitely. In a July interview with Bill Maher, he affirmed that he felt fine apart from difficulty keeping his balance, something that had become apparent when he had a fall on stage in February.
Even without fulfilling a planned run of arena shows, Joel had a big public profile in 2025, thanks to the release in the summer of an acclaimed two-part HBO documentary “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” which managed to captivate a large audience of non-fans as well as the Joel faithful.
From Variety US