LI’s Billy Joel presents Tony Award to Bruce Springsteen

“New York State of Mind” played as Billy Joel took the stage at the Tony Awards Sunday night, but he was in more of a New Jersey state of mind. The Hicksville native paid tribute to Bruce Springsteen as he presented The Boss with his special award for his bio-concert “Springsteen on Broadway.”

“It is my pleasure to present a special Tony Award to my good friend Bruce Springsteen,” said Joel, who also offered some backstory on how Springsteen’s show made the journey. The Boss then took the stage and thanked the Broadway community for welcoming him to “their neighborhood.”

Also representing Long Island was Northport’s Patti LuPone, who remarked that “I have a deep appreciation for outspoken women” as she paid tribute to the women of the American Theatre Wing, which was started by suffragettes.

Amy Schumer, a nominee for best actress in a play for “Meteor Shower,” was also a presenter. The Rockville Centre-raised comedian introduced a performance by the cast of “My Fair Lady.” In her usual irreverent fashion, she described the musical version of “Pygmalion” as a comedy about “class and sexism” and called Henry Higgins a “man-splaining expert on dialects.” Schumer, incidentally, lost the Tony Award to Glenda Jackson for Edward Albee’s “Three Tall Women.”