Billy Joel, blind teen play piano before show at Madison Square Garden
Billy Joel and 14-year-old Logan Riman play "Piano Man" together during a soundcheck at Madison Square Garden on July 11. Credit: Myrna Suarez
For Logan Riman, meeting Billy Joel was a dream come true. Playing “Piano Man” on the Madison Square Garden stage with The Piano Man was something the 14-year-old from Brooklyn and his family couldn’t have even imagined.
Logan, who was born blind, performed at the Garden of Dreams Foundation talent show at Radio City Music Hall in April as Logan Piano Man. And the foundation, which helps children in the tristate area overcome obstacles, was impressed — so much, in fact, that they wanted him to meet Joel.
“What started out as a simple soundcheck turned into this amazing and memorable experience,” said Darren Pfeffer, executive vice president of The Madison Square Garden Co.’s MSG Live division. “Billy came offstage, came down the stairs, was introduced to Logan and they had a brief moment together. And out of nowhere Billy invited him to come up on stage and perform with him. … It was one of the most magical experiences for me at Madison Square Garden.”
The moment before Joel's July 11 show is captured in a Twitter video, where Logan sits at the music icon's piano and calmly starts playing “Piano Man.” Joel, 70, joins him to play the melody, clearly enjoying the moment.
“It was amazing,” said Leah Riman, Logan’s mom. “Ever since I realized that my son had a gift for music, I've always imagined him on a stage. I didn't know when. I didn't know if. I didn't know how. I didn't know where. … To get to witness him play with Billy Joel at MSG on that level? I don't even have words for what I felt inside. That was literally my dream realized for my son.”
Riman said Logan, who doesn’t speak much, was inspired by the moment and by Joel’s concert earlier this month and is now tackling the epic “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.” She said the experience has also helped his confidence.
“I played the video of them playing together for him and he smiles,” Riman said. “He’s smiling like he's proud of himself. … He's just proud that they gave him a purpose and it gave him something to work towards and accomplish and he did it. It's just mind-blowing.”
