Billy Joel's Madison Square Garden residency: 20 most memorable moments

“It’s been 10 years,” Billy Joel told the crowd at Madison Square Garden in May. “I don’t want to outstay my welcome.”

That’s the singer’s modest explanation for why he’s ending “Billy Joel at the Garden,” his long-running residency that began Jan. 27, 2014. After a decade of playing one show per month (save for one missed gig due to illness and an 18-month shutdown during the pandemic), Joel will close out his run on July 25 — which also marks his 150th lifetime show at the famed venue. Along the way, Joel repeatedly broke the record for most appearances at the Garden by a single artist, a record he’s likely to hold for a very long time.

The numbers, however, can’t sum up what Joel’s shows have meant to his fans. They clearly came to “forget about life for a while,” as Joel sang nightly in his signature tune, “Piano Man.” Nostalgia also played a part: Joel turned 75 this year, and his fans have generally aged along with him. Boasting more than 30 hits in the Top 40 — including three No. 1s — Joel is a one-man jukebox for those who remember the 1970s, '80s and '90s. (It's worth noting, too, that every residency show was a sell-out.)

Joel's concert career isn't over. He still has a handful of U.S. dates scheduled, some with Sting and at least one with Rod Stewart. And as Joel recently reassured his Garden faithful, “there’s no reason we can’t come back here.”

Here are 20 memorable moments from Joel’s Madison Square Garden run:

JAN. 27, 2014

Joel’s first show sets the template, mixing familiar hits (“Allentown,” Don’t Ask Me Why”) with deep cuts (“Zanzibar”) and closing with “Piano Man” (followed by a four-song encore). Mulling on future shows, Joel tells the crowd: “I have no idea how long this is going to go.”

MARCH 21, 2014

Joel’s first big musical guest is an unlikely one: Brian Johnson, lead singer for hard-rock heroes AC/DC. The two play “You Shook Me All Night Long” — a first for Joel, according to Setlist.fm.

MAY 9, 2014

By now, Joel’s shows are the place to be. For the singer’s 65th birthday, Howard Stern provides an introduction, Jimmy Fallon sings “Happy Birthday to You” (with a barbershop quartet) and Gavin DeGraw comes out for the closing song, “You May Be Right.” Spotted in the crowd: Paul Rudd, Judd Apatow, Sting and Trudie Styler.

JULY 1, 2015

Marking Joel’s 65th lifetime Garden show, Long Island comedian Kevin James presents the singer with a commemorative banner. “I feel like body surfing,” the comedian says, “though we'd probably set another record for most injuries at a concert.”

OCT. 21, 2015

Joel brings out John Mayer to play guitar on “This Is the Time,” then covers the Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker” — with Miller himself. Mayer returns for “You May Be Right.” Almost forgotten in the excitement: For the first time since 1990, Joel played “Leningrad.” In the crowd was Viktor Razinov, the Russian circus clown who inspired the song.

JULY 20, 2016

After the first verse of “New York State of Mind,” Joel introduces Tony Bennett to a crowd that breaks into a sustained roar. When it’s over, the whole venue sings “Happy Birthday" to Bennett, 90.

APRIL 14, 2017

Joel invites a rather different guest to sing “New York State of Mind” — actor Kevin Spacey. Still several months away from the sexual misconduct scandals that will torpedo his career, Spacey hams it up for an appreciative crowd. Before leaving the stage, he takes a selfie with The Piano Man.

AUG. 21, 2017

Joel gets uncharacteristically political here, 10 days after neo-Nazis staged a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Joel wears two yellow Stars of David on his suit — front and back — in a clear nod to his Jewish heritage. He also brings out Patti Smyth, of Scandal, to sing that band’s 1982 hit, “Goodbye to You,” accompanied by pictures of Trump allies Sean Spicer and Steve Bannon.

SEPT. 30, 2017 

In a headline-grabbing show, Paul Simon performs two of his own songs with Joel, “The Boxer” and “Late in the Evening.” Switching gears, Joel brings out Miley Cyrus for “New York State of Mind.” All three reunite for “You May Be Right.” Rolling Stone dubs the concert “epic.”

MARCH 28, 2018

Retired New York Rangers’ star Mark Messier — no stranger to the Garden — presents Joel with a banner for his 50th residency show. Later, comedian Jim Breuer takes lead vocals on AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.”

JUNE 2, 2018 

Joel’s daughter Alexa Ray Joel sings 1987’s “Baby Grand.” The song was originally a duet with Ray Charles — whose first name would become Alexa’s middle name. She also joined him on stage in April 2024 (photo, above).

JULY 18, 2018

Bruce Springsteen helps Joel commemorate his 100th lifetime Garden show. With Joel at the piano, The Boss warms up the crowd with his “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” then launches into a version of “Born to Run” that lasts nearly six minutes.

NOV. 10, 2018

Joel scores a Long Island two-fer when cult rocker Elliott Murphy, of Rockville Centre, comes out to cover “Walk on the Wild Side” by Freeport native Lou Reed. (Later, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry shows up for a version of his band’s “Walk This Way.”)

DEC. 19, 2018

Della Rose Joel, 3, comes out in her Christmas PJs to sing her dad’s 1980 hit “Don’t Ask Me Why.” Later, father and daughter Alexa Ray sing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” (The Piano Man will bring back Della Rose and her little sister, Remy Anne, for a show in December of 2023, pictured above, and again this past June.)

MAY 9, 2019

Peter Frampton joins for Joel’s 70th birthday, playing his hits “Show Me the Way” and “Baby, I Love Your Way,” then returns for Joel’s now-standard closer, “You May Be Right.” Speaking later to Newsday about the residency, Joel says: “Maybe it just keeps going because people want to keep seeing it.”

JAN. 25, 2020

New Jersey’s Jon Bon Jovi joins for two songs, taking lead vocals on “It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me” and alternating with Joel on “Big Shot.”

AUG. 24, 2022

Newly minted pop star Olivia Rodrigo sings her hit single “déjà vu,” which famously mentions Joel and his hit single “Uptown Girl.” She sings that, too. It’s a synergistic moment that proves Joel’s staying power, his cross-generational appeal and — not least — his showbiz smarts.

DEC. 19, 2023

New wave icon Elvis Costello runs through his 1978 single “Pump it Up” and Joel’s “Allentown.” Joel sprinkles the Christmastime concert with snippets of seasonal standards, including “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Angels We Have Heard on High.”

MARCH 28, 2024

Joel's 100th residency show is recorded by CBS to become the singer's first-ever network television special. Fellow Long Islander Jerry Seinfeld introduces the singer with an affectionate speech: “His music is our best friend through our whole life.” Later, Sting sings Joel’s “Big Man on Mulberry Street” and The Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.” In April, when CBS cuts the special short to air the local news, viewers are so outraged that the network apologizes and broadcasts it again.

MAY 9, 2024

Joel celebrates his 75th birthday in relatively cozy fashion: no guests, just him and the band. The show is marred only by Joel frequently wiping a leaky eye. “I’m not crying,” he tells the crowd. “A lot of weird [expletive] happens when you’re 75.”

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com@raferguzman