On November 30, 2016, Billy Joel extended his MSG residency continued with his 35th consecutive show at the World’s Most Famous Arena. His first monthly show at the Garden was on January 27, 2014. Joel committed to playing one show a month at the Garden as long as there was a demand for tickets.
Billy broke his own 2006 record for the most consecutive sold-out shows at his thirteenth performance on January 9, 2015. On July 1, 2015, he played his 65th show breaking the record for the most shows at the Garden by a single artist.
Elton John and the Grateful Dead held the record previously. His 74th consecutive MSG monthly show was scheduled for March 2020, but had to be postponed due to COVID-19. The show was initially moved to September, but has now been moved back another year till 2021.
According to a statement on Joel’s website, “Tickets for the original show dates and initial rescheduled show dates will be valid for the corresponding new rescheduled dates in 2021 and 2022.”
Setlist: Billy Joel at MSG, November 30, 2016
Miami 2017, Pressure, Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song), Vienna, Downeaster Alexa (with Julian Rachlin), Zanzibar, Leningrad, Allentown, New York State of Mind, Root Beer Bag, The Longest Time, My Life, Don’t Ask Me Why, Sometimes a Fantasy, She’s Always a Woman, The River of Dreams, Take it Easy (Eagles Cover), Nessun Dorma, Scenes From an Italian Restaurant, Piano Man
Encore: We Didn’t Start the Fire, Uptown Girl, It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me, Big Shot, Only the Good Die Young, You May be Right
On October 7, 2019, Phil Collins brought his ‘Not Dead Yet’ Tour to Madison Square Garden for two nights. The tour was 97 shows total including legs in Europe, North America, South America and Australia. and named after his 2016 autobiography. Due to ongoing nerve damage with his hands, this is the first tour that Collins did not play drums. Instead he relied on his son, 18 year old Nicholas Collins to handle all the drum parts. He did an excellent job and I’m sure his father was proud.
Back surgery had also left Phil with a paralyzed right foot so he had to remain seated during this tour. His backup band included guitarist Daryl Stuermer, keyboardist Brad Cole, bassist Leland Sklar, percussionist Richie Garcia and featured Nicholas Collins on drums.
It was a bit awkward as Phil hobbled on stage assisted by a cane, but I don’t think he cared much and neither did the audience. You realize he is an absolute legend as he begins to play hit after hit spanning his 50 plus year career. He sounded fantastic. He even snuck in a few Genesis songs along the way and teased a Genesis reunion which is now supposed to take place sometime in 2021. They played for 2 and half hours, and still couldn’t possibly play every song everyone wanted to hear.
The 19 song setlist barely scratched the surface of even just his greatest hits. One of the highlights of the show was when Collins, his son Nicholas and percussionist Richie Garcia had a wild synchronized percussionist duel which culminated with both of them coming out to sit with Phil and play amplifies cajons. It really brought the energy up and was the closest thing we got to see him playing drums. Another highlight was when he brought his son Nicholas to accompany him on piano on “You Know What I Mean” which Collins said his son requested to be included on the tour.
Nicholas returned to the drums as Phil stood for the only time to perform “In the Air Tonight.” He kept the energy up with “Can’t Hurry Love” and “Invisible Touch” ending the show with “Easy Lover,” Sussudio” and “Take Me Home.”
The crowd, including myself was definitely pleased with the performance and went home happy. Weather or not he will ever play again solo or with Genesis will remain to be seen.
Setlist: Against All Odds, Another Day in Paradise, Hang In Long Enough, Don’t Lose My Number, Throwing It All Away (Genesis), Follow You Follow Me (Genesis), I Missed Again, Who Said I Would, Separate Lives, Drum Trio, Something Happened On The Way To Heaven, You Know What I Mean, In The Air Tonight, You Can’t Hurry Love, Dance Into The Light, Invisible Touch (Genesis), Easy Lover, Sussudio, Take Me Home
Billy Joel has decided to push his shows to late 2021 and 2022 at Madison Square Garden in the light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. He was originally supposed to take the stage in March of 2020 but like many shows he had to postpone to later dates.
Billy Joel’s Madison Square Garden shows were originally supposed to take place between March 19, 2020 and Monday, August 3, 2020. It was then initially rescheduled to take place between September 26, 2020 and February 3, 2021. They have now been pushed back and are taking place between November 5, 2021 and February 12, 2022. Pretty much all 2020 shows have been pushed but few have been pushed back as far as Billy Joel has pushed his shows. The longer the world deals with the coronavirus it seems less and less likely that we will be back to normal in 2021 particularly in the live entertainment industry.
In a message posted on Billy Joel’s website it asks fans to, “Please be advised that the six Billy Joel concerts which were originally scheduled to take place at Madison Square Garden between March and August 2020, and were subsequently postponed to September 2020 through February 2021, have been rescheduled to take place between November 2021 and April 2022. All original dates, along with their corresponding initial rescheduled dates and the new rescheduled dates are outlined below. Tickets for the original show dates and initial rescheduled show dates will be valid for the corresponding new rescheduled dates in 2021 and 2022.” Those outlined dates can be found here.
Ticket holders who aren’t able to attend the new dates can request a refund before October 5, 2020. If a refund is not requested during the allotted time, tickets will automatically be transferred to the new rescheduled show date and no action is needed by the ticket holder. People interested in a refund for tickets purchased through Ticketmaster, visit my.ticketmaster.com/account. For refunds on tickets purchased through the Madison Square Garden Box Office, call the MSG Guest Relations department at 212-465-6225.
The New Rescheduled Show Dates are the following: Friday, November 5, 2021 Monday, December 20, 2021 Friday, January 14, 2022 Saturday, February 12, 2022 Thursday, March 24, 2022 Friday, and April 8, 2022.
For more information please visit Billy Joel’s Website.
“Christmas Spectacular” was cancelled this year for the first time ever since the show was introduced in 1933. The cancellation comes on the coattails of MSG Entertainment (Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation) who runs “Christmas Spectacular,” announcing plans to lay off 350 people due to the COVID-19.
The “Christmas Spectacular” stars the well known Radio City Rockettes who are an American precision dance company. The show takes place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City which is owned by MSG Entertainment and runs November 6 through January 3. MSG Entertainment decided to cancel the popular show this year due to the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic still raging throughout the world and the United States. The show hopes to be back for the 2021 production, which is on sale now. All tickets for the 2020 production will be automatically refunded at the point of purchase.
MSG Entertainment announced their plans to lay off 350 people, which is around a third of their workforce, due to the economic impact the coronavirus has had on their company. The sister company, MSG Sports, which owns the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers is laying off people as well. They announced plans to lay off 50 people which is about 15 percent of its corporate staff.
A representative of MSG Entertainment and MSG Sports elaborated on the situation saying, “This was a difficult decision for both companies, as we know that our success rests on the strength of our people, who consistently set the industry standard for excellence and professionalism. While we believe this is a necessary step to protect the long-term future of our businesses, we continue to actively pursue solutions that will allow us to safely reopen our doors, so we’re able to bring as many employees back as quickly as we can, once a return date for live events is established.”
According to the New York Post’s article Laid-off employees for MSG Entertainment will receive severance and benefits packages, outplacement support, to help with their transition to being unemployed. MSG Entertainment had prior efforts before it’s layoffs of 350 employees. These attempts though included other layoffs of part time employees which included the layoffs of 4,000 employees of the MSG arena, home of the Knicks and Rangers, who averaged under 20 hours at the end of March. At the end of May, 1,900 MSG venue employees who averaged over 20 hours of work were also cut.
For more information on the cancellation of “Christmas Spectacular” and the MSG Entertainment layoffs read the New York Post’s article here
On the third anniversary of ‘Chocolate’ night, Phish will air their July 28, 2017 performance from Madison Square Garden for this week’s installment of Dinner and a Movie. The Baker’s Dozen run of 13 shows was accented by donuts handed out to those who entered early each evening, with flavors that matched the theme of the show each night, provided by Philadelphia’s Federal Donuts.
This week’s featured recipe was chosen by guitarist Trey Anastasio and features two delicious components of any Phish show, donuts and chicken sandwiches. Get the recipes for Federal Donuts Double Chocolate donut and the Federal Donuts Fried Chicken sandwich here, and read our review of Chocolate night from Baker’s Dozen.
Set 1: Chocolate Rain[1], Ass Handed, Free, Weigh > Undermind > The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony, The Dogs, Destiny Unbound, Divided Sky, Things People Do, Sand
Set 2: Have Mercy, Chalk Dust Torture[2], You Sexy Thing[3] > Mercury -> You Sexy Thing > Backwards Down the Number Line > Rock and Roll
Encore: Fee[4], Space Oddity
[1] Phish debut; a cappella, with Page on a midi controller keyboard. [2] Unfinished. [3] Phish debut. [4] Lyrics changed to “have a chocolate donut and catch your breath.”
Now through August 6, MSG’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter is celebrating this incredible run by sharing interactive polls, setlists from each night, quote graphics, photos from each show, the banner raising and much more, to bring fans back to the excitement of Phish’s unforgettable Baker’s Dozen performances.
Photo by Carl Scheffel
On the final night of the run, the band was honored for this memorable engagement as they received a banner in the MSG rafters, which cemented the band’s place in both MSG and New York history, as the NYC Mayor’s office proclaimed August 6, 2017 “Phish Day.”
It is now July 2020, the fifth month with minimal, if any, live music performances throughout New York State, let alone the country. Our venues are not yet open, but as the threat of COVID-19 decreases, parts of New York will enter Phase 4 and beyond, with the hope that live music will return, even if gradually.
While we may be stream weary, the prospect of live music is a motivator for many, and staying safe is the key given that New York and much of the Northeast are faring better than other areas of the country.
From viewing these photos taken during mid-late June, we can see the presence of the Black Lives Matter protests that spanned all 50 states. In all corners of New York there were protests, particularly in New York, protests that continue to push for defunding of the NYPD.
Working with 13 photographers to document more than 60 venues in 20 cities across New York State, NYS Music presents the second edition of our monthly series that looks at the current state of our beloved venues. When the venues reopen, we will share photo documentation recording the changes over time in all corners of the state.
Immense thanks goes out to all photographers and venues who are taking part in this monthly series. We’ll start this month in the Capital District, with a drone montage from Zach Culver, covering the venues we long to return to, sooner, rather than later.
As we enter June, the fourth month where live music performances are postponed until it is deemed safe to have mass gatherings due to COVID-19, we take a look at the music venues across the state that are closed for now, but in the coming months will hopefully reopen.
Working with 13 photographers to document more than 60 venues in 20 cities across New York State, we present this monthly series that will look at the current conditions of these beloved venues. As they reopen, we will provide photo documentation recording the changes over time in all corners of the state.
Great thanks to all photographers and venues who take part in this series.
For the tenth installment of Phish’s Dinner and a Movie, Phish will stream full show video from their December 29, 2018 performance at MSG, and the second in the series from ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena.’
The show was the second night of Phish’s annual New Years Eve run, held at Madison Square Garden every year since 2010 (except 2014) and the 63rd time the Vermont group has played MSG.
Mike Gordon shares a Vegetable Shoyu Ramen recipe with fans, and the Afya Foundation will serve as the non-profit beneficiary for Tuesday’s stream. From their website, Afya Foundation states as their primary mission to improve global health by rescuing surplus medical supplies and delivering them to underserved health systems around the world. During the COVID-19 crisis, Afya has turned their focus and is delivering PPE to New York healthcare workers, with a special focus on healthcare systems supporting vulnerable populations.
To stream Dinner and a Movie, tune into Live Phish or the band’s Facebook page on Tuesday, May 26 at 830 pm ET for the free stream of the December 29, 2018 show at MSG. Read the NYS Music recap from the first night of the 2018 run here.
Set 1: Buried Alive, Blaze On, Turtle in the Clouds, The Sloth, 46 Days > Cities, Corinna, Ya Mar, Wolfman’s Brother
Set 2: Carini -> Tweezer > Death Don’t Hurt Very Long -> Tweezer > No Quarter > Also Sprach Zarathustra > First Tube
Encore: Shine a Light, Tweezer Reprise
Notes: Wolfman’s Brother contained Party Time quotes. Trey teased Can’t Always Listen in the first Tweezer. Tweezer Reprise contained a Death Don’t Hurt Very Long quote.
Pink Floyd co-founder, Roger Waters, announced via Twitter that he will be embarking on an extensive 2020 North American “This is Not a Drill” Tour. This is the first time Waters will be performing at the Times Union Center in Albany. Updated dates can be found for 2022 below.
“This Is Not A Drill” will play in 31 cities across the U.S. and Canada including two stops in New York. First along the way will be a performance at theTimes Union Center on July 25 in Albany. Waters will then return August 5 to what will most likely be a sold out show atMadison Square Garden.
Waters was the bass player, co-lead vocalist and songwriter in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He originally revealed news of the tour during an interview with Rolling Stone in September where he also discussed his upcoming film ‘Us + Them.’
“It’ll be a new show. It will be no-holds-barred,” Roger told Rolling Stone. “My work is to think, ‘Well, how can I make rock & roll more interesting or theatrical or exciting or visual or musical or whatever?’ That’s what I’ve spent the last 50 years doing, expressing myself.”
Roger Waters – Rolling Stone
Roger Waters: This Is Not A Drill – 2022 North American Tour Dates
July 6, 2022 – Pittsburgh, PA, PPG Paints Arena July 8, 2022 – Toronto, ON, Scotiabank Arena July 9, 2022 – Toronto, ON, Scotiabank Arena July 12, 2022 – Boston, MA, TD Garden July 15, 2022 – Montreal, QC, Bell Centre July 17, 2022 – Quebec, QC, Videotron Centre July 20, 2022 – Albany, NY, MVP Arena July 23, 2022 – Detroit, MI, Little Caesars Arena July 26, 2022 – Chicago, IL, United Center July 28, 2022 – Milwaukee, WI, Fiserv Forum July 30, 2022 – Minneapolis, MN, Target Center August 2, 2022 – Cincinnati, OH, Heritage Bank Center August 5, 2022 – Philadelphia, PA, Wells Fargo Center August 6, 2022 – Philadelphia, PA, Wells Fargo Center August 10, 2022* – Columbus, OH, Nationwide Arena August 13, 2022 – Elmont, NY, UBS Arena at Belmont Park August 16, 2022 – Washington, D.C., Capital One Arena August 18, 2022 – Raleigh, NC, PNC Arena August 20, 2022 – Atlanta, GA, State Farm Arena August 23, 2022 – Miami, FL, FTX Arena August 25, 2022 – Orlando, FL, Amway Center August 27, 2022 – Nashville, TN, Bridgestone Arena August 30, 2022 – New York, NY, Madison Square Garden August 31, 2022 – New York, NY, Madison Square Garden September 3, 2022 – Kansas City, MO, T-Mobile Center September 6, 2022 – Denver, CO, Ball Arena September 8, 2022 – Salt Lake City, UT, Vivint Arena September 10, 2022 – Portland, OR, Moda Center September 13, 2022 – Edmonton, AB, Rogers Place September 15, 2022 – Vancouver, BC, Rogers Arena September 17, 2022 – Tacoma, WA, Tacoma Dome September 20, 2022 – Sacramento, CA, Golden 1 Center September 23, 2022 – San Francisco, CA, Chase Center September 24, 2022 – San Francisco, CA, Chase Center September 27, 2022 – Los Angeles, CA, Crypto.com Arena September 28, 2022 – Los Angeles, CA, Crypto.com Arena October 1, 2022 – Las Vegas, NV, T-Mobile Arena October 3, 2022* – Glendale, AZ, Gila River Arena October 6, 2022* – Austin, TX, Moody Center October 8, 2022 – Dallas, TX, American Airlines Center
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Daryl Hall and John Oates have just announced that they will be on the road once again this spring and summer for a North American Tour. British rockers Squeeze and Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall along for the ride.
A series of random warm-up dates in will span February, March and May before the proper tour begins. Those stops will include a performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Feb. 28.
The official tour for the best selling duo begins on May 29 and will make 32 stops along the way. Three stops in New York will include St.Joseph’s Amphitheater in Syracuse on July 30, Northwell Health at Jones Beach on Aug. 25 and finally SPAC on Aug. 31.
Fans will be delighted to know that Hall & Oates will focus the set on their huge pop hits like “Private Eyes,” “Rich Girl,” “Maneater,” and “You Make My Dreams.” Hall & Oates expressed how excited they were to revisit their timeless hits in a recent interview with Rolling Stone.
“I feel a professional responsibility to play the songs that people want to hear,” Oates says. “They are the songs that have made us who we are. We have a lot of them. The only problem is we have too many of them, but that’s a problem that many artists would love to have.”
“A few years back we had a big show where we didn’t play ‘Private Eyes’ for some reason,” says Hall. People got pissed off. They got angry at us. You can’t do that. You have to play these songs.”
Tickets go on sale Friday for all tour dates and can be purchased by clicking here.
Hall & Oates 2020 Tour Dates
* w/ Squeeze ^ w/ KT Tunstall
Feb. 26– Giant Center – Hershey, PA * Feb. 28 – Madison Square Garden – New York City, NY *^ Mar. 21 – Fantasy Springs Resort – Indio, CA Mar. 27 – Neal S. Blaisdell Center – Honolulu, HI Mar. 29 – Maui Arts & Cultural Center – Kahului, HI May 15 – Foxwoods – Mashantucket, CT May 16 – Foxwoods – Mashantucket, CT May 23 – HoagieNation – Philadelphia, PA * (Presale starts Wednesday 1/22) May 29 – Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA *^ May 31 – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre – Chula Vista, CA *^ June 3 – Theater of the Clouds at Moda Center – Portland, OR *^ June 5 – White River Amphitheatre – Auburn, WA *^ June 7 – Toyota Amphitheatre – Wheatland, CA *^ June 10 – Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA *^ June 12 – Ak-Chin Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ *^ June 14 – Pepsi Center – Denver, CO *^ June 17 – Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, TX *^ June 19 – Germania Insurance Amphitheatre – Austin, TX *^ June 21 – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – Houston, TX *^ July 10 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON *^ July 12 – Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH *^ July 14 – Blossom Music Center – Cleveland, OH *^ July 16 – Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN *^ July 18 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater – Chicago, IL *^ July 20 – DTE Energy Music Theatre – Detroit, MI *^ July 22 – Ruoff Music Center – Noblesville, IN *^ July 24 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater – St. Louis, MO *^ July 26 – American Family Insurance Amphitheater – Milwaukee, WI *^ July 28 – S&T Bank Music Park – Pittsburgh, PA *^ July 30 – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview – Syracuse, NY *^ Aug.13 – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre – Atlanta, GA *^ Aug.15 – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre – Tampa, FL *^ Aug.18 – PNC Music Pavilion – Charlotte, NC *^ Aug. 20 – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater – Virginia Beach, VA *^ Aug. 22 – Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD *^ Aug. 25 – Northwell Health at Jones Beach – Wantagh, NY *^ Aug. 27 – PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ *^ Aug. 29 – Xfinity Center – Mansfield, MA *^ Aug. 31 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY *^ Sept. 2 – Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion – Gilford, NH *^
