Billy Joel attends star-studded charity concert in his honor at Carnegie Hall

Billy Joel sold out Carnegie Hall in Manhattan on Thursday night — except he wasn’t onstage. He was seated in the audience for "The Music of Billy Joel," a star-studded charity event featuring 20 acts performing songs from his catalog and backed by Joel's touring band. One hundred percent of net proceeds from the event went to music education for underserved youth programs in New York City and beyond.

It was a rare public appearance for Joel, who announced in May that he had been diagnosed with the brain disorder normal pressure hydrocephalus and needed to cancel all his upcoming performances. Since then, he has been keeping a relatively low profile while undergoing physical therapy.

Fans kept turning their heads and snapping pictures of Joel, who sat in the second tier on the left side of the stage.

Artists including Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, Pat Monahan of Train, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Natalie Merchant, Rufus Wainwright, Itzhak Perlman, Gavin DeGraw, Wyclef Jean, Matt Nathanson, Joel’s daughter Alexa Ray and several others lent their talents to the show, held in the Stern Auditorium.

Show producer Michael Dorf told the crowd: " A bottle of red, a bottle of white. It’s pretty obvious why I love Billy Joel. We are here to celebrate the Piano Man. With 160 million albums sold, his music has seeped into the collective unconscious of our souls."

The evening began with a triple shot from 1977’s diamond-selling "The Stranger." English singer-songwriter Yola opened the show with a sassy version of "Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)," followed by Thomas’ touching rendition of fan favorite "Vienna." Monahan continued the balladry with "She’s Always a Woman."

Joel’s keyboardist-organist David Rosenthal served as musical director. Also working with Rosenthal Thursday were his fellow band mates: saxophonist Mark Rivera, percussionist Crystal Taliefero, guitarist Tommy Byrnes, bassist Andy Cichon, drummer Chuck Burgi and trumpeter-trombonist-saxophonist Carl Fischer with guest pianist Dan Orlando. Missing was vocalist-guitarist Michael DelGuidice, of Miller Place, who had a conflicting gig.

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.