Billy Joel has revealed that his residency at Madison Square Garden will end next year after 10 years.
“I’m a bit stunned that it’s taken this long. My team tells me we can keep selling tickets, but ten years, 150 shows – okay already!” the Grammy-winning singer said in a statement. “I remember the first time we played Madison Square Garden, it was the pinnacle of my career. I thought, ‘My God, I’m headlining Madison Square Garden.’ Everyone in the world knows that when you play The Garden, it’s not just New York.”
He also expressed his appreciation to fans in his statement saying, “I want to thank them for coming to our shows for so long. It’s hard to end, even at 150 lifetime shows. I just want to thank everyone for the great thing that happened here.”
The “Piano Man” singer performed his first show at Madison Square Garden in December 1978. In 2006, he set his first record at the venue for “most consecutive performances by any artist” with 12 shows.
In 2013, Joel was named the venue’s first-ever music franchise, and began its record-breaking run the following year. During his residency, he broke several more records, including his own, for “most consecutive performances by any artist” with 13 shows in 2015, and “most lifetime performances by any artist” later that year with his 65th lifetime show . Banners hang from the rafters of The Garden to commemorate the historic moments.
“Billy Joel’s franchise run has made history – not just for Madison Square Garden, but for the music industry at large,” said James L. Dolan, MSG Entertainment’s executive chairman and CEO. “150 sold-out lifetime shows is a remarkable achievement and speaks to Billy’s extraordinary talent, beloved back catalog and devoted fanbase. Billy always has a home here at MSG, even though the residency is coming to an end at 150 lifetime achievements.”
Joel’s finale ten performances at Madison Square Garden runs from October 2023 to July 2024.
