I looked it up, based on an old t-shirt I had. Shirt was from Billy Joel's "Storm Front" tour, back in 1990, so that helped me narrow down the date. Set list was not available, but this is what I found:
http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/billy-joel/1990/alpine-valley-music-theatre-east-troy-wi-23c47013.html
August 11, 1990. At Alpine Valley. Sitting on the grass in the cheap seats, ah the memories!
In case you're wondering, yes, I wore the old t-shirt to the concert. Yes, it still fit! Okay, it was a little tight. I'll spare you a visual. :(
How was the concert? It was GREAT. Sound wasn't perfect in such a large venue (more on the venue later) and Joel is getting a bit older (67 now). But he is still a fabulous performer, and check out this set list, from setlist.fm:
http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/billy-joel/2017/suntrust-park-atlanta-ga-6be60ace.html
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(followed by 'Take Me Out To The Ball Game')
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(Edward Meeker cover)
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(Audience choice over "Just the Way You Are")
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(Elton John cover)
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(Hoagy Carmichael cover)
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(With The Lion Sleeps Tonight ( Solomon Linda) intro and audience choice over "An Innocent Man")
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(James Brown cover)
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(With 'Layla' piano outro)
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(Audience choice over "Leningrad")
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(The Allman Brothers Band cover)
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(Otis Redding cover)
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(Gladys Knight & The Pips cover)
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(With "The Mexican Connection" intro)
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(AC/DC cover) (roadie Chainsaw on vocal; Billy Joel on guitar)
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(With 'Heat Wave' (Martha and the Vandellas) interlude)
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(Giacomo Puccini cover) (Mike DelGuidice on vocal; Billy Joel on piano)
- Encore:
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(With 'Rock And Roll' (Led Zeppelin) Snippet)
33 songs, not all full length (like the Georgia songs). I did keep track of the time: Joel played over two and a half hours, 2:35 or so by my watch. Definitely gave the fans a solid show.
Joel seemed to have fun in this concert. He joked that he wasn't going to play any "new shit" that we hadn't heard before. He played many songs from Georgia artists. He let a band member sing Nessun Dorma. He let one of his roadies sing Highway to Hell. And he gave several song choices, chosen based on applause, during the evening.
Song choice #1 was "Vienna" instead of "Just The Way You Are." I voted for Vienna on this one, easy call. On the way out after the concert I heard one woman complain, sad and confused, asking why the audience didn't want to hear "Just The Way You Are." Duh: It's because we wanted to listen to listen to the better song.
Song choice #2 was "The Longest Time" over "Innocent Man." I voted for "The Longest Time" without hesitation.
Song choice #3 was "And So It Goes" over "Leningrad." I didn't have a strong applause vote here, mildly preferring "And So It Goes." I think this is the where Joel joked with the audience this was a slow one and not many in the audience would know it, so now would be a good time to go to the bathroom!
So my choice won all three times. Yay! :)
Here is a review of the concert, from the local paper, AJC.com:
"Concert review and photos: Billy Joel gives master class in pop music at first SunTrust Park show"
http://music.blog.ajc.com/2017/04/29/concert-review-and-photos-billy-joel-gives-master-class-in-pop-music-at-first-suntrust-park-show/
Final line in the review sums it up perfectly: "This was a master class in the essentials of pop music longevity."
My favorite parts of the concert were most of the songs from Glass Houses and The Stranger. Least favorite parts? The songs from 52nd Street. Not sure why, I've always found that to be my least liked Billy Joel album.
Favorite songs during the night?
- All For Leyna
- Vienna
- Miami 2017 (seems fitting, now that we're in 2017 .... and by the way, wasn't 2017 way in the future???)
- Only The Good Die Young (always fabulous)
- You May Be Right
Speaking of SunTrust Park, how was it? How was the brand-spanking new home of the
Here is how it was described on AJC.com:
Billy Joel show prompts mixed reviews of SunTrust Park as concert venue
http://music.blog.ajc.com/2017/04/29/billy-joel-show-prompts-mixed-reviews-of-suntrust-park-as-concert-venue/
The article itself is weak, doesn't give any real feel for the park. But do yourself a favor and read the comments to get the full story, good and bad.
I agree with this one:
Okay, now that all that is out of the way, here is one unexpected song from the concert. It's one of my all-time favorite Billy Joel songs. Never a hit, just a great song on a great album (Glass Houses, one of Joel's best, along with The Stranger, in my opinion).
Billy Joel - All for Leyna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzE1-NlOthY
I've seen other set lists where Joel did not play this song in recent concerts, choosing "Sleeping With The Television On" instead, another one of my favorites. Another similar (in my mind) song is "I Don't Want To Be Alone Anymore." Both are also on Glass Houses--can you see why it's at the top of the list of Billy Joel albums? All capture certain vibes about relationships. More obsessive/negative with All For Leyna, more realistic/regretful with Sleeping With The Television On, and more optimistic/hopeful with I Don't Want To Be Alone Anymore.
Regardless of the stadium issues (some degree of which were to be expected for such high attendance), it was a great concert, a trip down memory lane. Thanks, Billy.
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