Billy Joel nearly sells out 4 MSG shows in one day
Billy Joel performs with his band at Madison Square Garden, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, as he has been doing monthly. Credit: Marisol Diaz
It looks like Billy Joel's record-setting Madison Square Garden residency will go on for a while.
Joel has said that he would continue the run as long as fans were interested. Well, on Friday, the overwhelming majority of more than 70,000 tickets to his monthly concert series at the Garden were sold as soon as they went on sale.
Demand was so high for his Jan. 9, Feb. 18 and March 9 concerts that a show on April 3 was immediately added. That brings his current run to 16 shows, breaking his own record of 12 concerts set in 2006. It also puts him within striking distance of Elton John's record of 64 appearances at The Garden. Joel's April concert would mark his 62nd appearance at the Garden.
Though the Garden is clearly Joel's home base now, he has announced plans to continue touring as well. In addition to playing Orlando's Amway Center on New Year's Eve, Joel will also play Dallas, Miami and Atlanta in January and February.
According to Billboard Boxscore, Joel's 10 shows at the Garden this year have sold more than 186,000 tickets and grossed more than $20 million, making him one of the year's top touring acts.
The ticket sales reflect a broader intense interest in Joel, who will be honored Monday as one of ASCAP's first Centennial Award winners, along with Joan Baez, Garth Brooks, Stephen Sondheim and Stevie Wonder, at the Waldorf Astoria. On Wednesday, he will receive the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at a tribute concert in Washington, D.C.
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