Billy Joel and Madison Square Garden Entertainment announced on Thursday that the singer will end his record-breaking residency at the iconic New York venue in July of 2024, after 10 years and some 150 concerts. The first of the final 10 concerts will take place on October 20, 2023.
Throughout the course of his run, Joel has sold more than 1.6 million tickets.
The announcement was made during a press conference at the venue, attended by Joel, MSG CEO James Dolan and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
“There’s only one thing that’s more New York than Billy Joel — and that’s a Billy Joel concert at MSG,” Mayor Adams said. “For more than 50 years, Billy’s music has defined our city and brought us together. On behalf of 8.5 million New Yorkers, congratulations, Billy, on a historic run of sold-out shows at MSG, and thank you for a lifetime of bringing joy to us all.”
“Billy Joel’s franchise run has made history – not only for Madison Square Garden, but also for the music industry overall,” said Dolan. “150 sold out lifetime shows is a remarkable achievement, and speaks to Billy’s extraordinary talent, beloved catalog, and dedicated fanbase. Billy always has a home here at MSG even though the residency is coming to an end with his 150th lifetime performance.”
Joel’s history with Madison Square Garden began with his first performance at the arena on December 14, 1978, as his fifth solo album, “The Stranger,” vaulted him to superstardom. In 2006, with 12 consecutive performances, Joel set the venue’s record for “most consecutive performances by any artist.” To commemorate the historic moment, a banner stating “Joel – 12” was raised to Garden’s rafters, making him the first entertainer to join the city’s Knicks and Rangers NBA and NHL franchises.
In December 2013, Joel was named MSG’s first-ever music franchise, beginning his residency in January 2014 with one show every month for, as he said at the time, “as long as the demand continues.” In January 2015, Joel broke his own record of the most consecutive performances by any artist with the 13th show of the residency. In July 2015, with his 65th lifetime show, Joel broke another record for the most lifetime performances by any artist. In July 2018, to commemorate his 100th lifetime performance at the venue, then-Governor Andrew M. Cuomo officially proclaimed July 18, 2018 “Billy Joel Day” in the State of New York. Bruce Springsteen joining Joel onstage to celebrate the 100 th-concert milestone.
The first of the final ten shows in Joel’s MSG franchise run will take place on October 20. Citi cardmembers will have first access to presale tickets for theOctober 20 show from Monday, June 5 at 10:00AM (ET) through Thursday, June 8 at 10:00PM (ET). Verizonwill also offer an exclusive presale for theOctober show through the customer loyalty programVerizonUp. Members will have exclusive access to purchase presale tickets from Tuesday, June 6 at 10:00AM (ET) through Thursday, June 8 at 10:00PM (ET).
Tickets will be available for purchase by the general public beginning at 10:00AM (ET) on Friday, June 9 via Ticketmaster. Tickets will also be available at the Madison Square Garden box office on Saturday, June 10.
The concert, part of the Montefiore Concert Series, is being promoted by MSG Entertainment in association with AEG Presents and Q104.3 as a media partner.
