Billy Joel @ Mohegan Sun Arena- May 25, 2008

Well this was a pretty great show. My expectations were lowered somewhat as my friend Patrick had gone to the May 23rd show, and reported that the show was somewhat lacklustre. This was also confirmed by some posts to online Billy Joel discussion groups. The general thought was that Billy was sick or just not "into it."

Happily, this was not the case 2 nights later. This was my first concert at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The parking situation is awesome here, with perhaps the best designed parking garage I've ever seen. In and out. After a ton of shows at the BankNorth Garden and Tweeter Center in Massachusetts, this was much appreciated. It is kind of wierd to have to walk through the smoky casino floor to get to the arena, and past the pathetic old people pumping their pensions into the one armed bandits.

The arena is really nice, however, despite Connecticut's lame 1 beer per person beer law. Our seats were directly behind the stage, which actually presented a great view, as Billy plays with the piano sidewise to the audience. Anyway, here was the set:

Angry Young Man- His now-standard opener, Billy impresses right away with his piano skills. The guy is lightning fast. The sound was great for an arena, as well.

My Life- This classic came hot on the heels of the opener and sounded great, with Billy teasing some classical pieces in the intro. Lots of fun.

Vienna- The first surprise of the night, and it sounded great. Wasn't expecting to hear this one, and the crowd loved it too.

The Entertainer- Like the rest of the show, this sounded great. It's about this time in the show you start remembering how many classics Billy Joel had written.

New York State Of Mind- Lots of people loved this one, however its one that never really gelled with me for some reason. It's a nice enough song and it was played well.

Zanzibar- One of my favorites and certainly a musical highlight of the evening. Carl Fisher's trumpet parts cut through nicely and everything really came together nicely on this one.

Allentown & Don't Ask Me Why- Another pair of classics you sometimes forget exist. Sounded great (sense a pattern?) and the band appeared to be having a good time on this one, too.

Ain't No Crime- The real shocker of the night, which Billy introduced as "a song from the Piano Man album we haven't done live since 1974...so forgive us if we fuck it up..." Not a lot of people knew this one, but it was rockin' and sounded fantastic.

Movin' Out- At this song they let the crowd come up and surround the stage. More fun times with classic stuff.

Keepin the Faith- Another favorite (played a couple of keys lower, but still sounding awesome).

Always A Woman- Was a nice little break in the energy, performed well.

Captain Jack- Between this and Zanzibar, my two major hopes were fulfilled. Awesome song, my favorite by Billy Joel, and it was fantastic.

Lullabye- My girlfriend Marissa wanted to hear this one. I told her there was not much of a chance he'd play it. I was glad to be proved wrong.



River of Dreams- I've always liked this tune. It was made even better with a near complete version of the Beatles' "A Hard Days Night" sandwiched in the middle. Great fun.

Highway to Hell- Billy's roadie Chainsaw handled the vocals on this AC/DC cover. it was fun, and it brought the energy in the room way up.

We Didn't Start The Fire- Billy gets up from behind the piano to play guitar on this one. Lots of fun trying to remember the words to this one.

It's Still Rock & Roll to Me- Billy has lots of fun playing with his micstand on this, twirling it and tossing it around, while hamming it up.

You May be Right- The hits just keep on coming...with Billy jumping off his piano and clowning around.

Scenes from an Italian Resturant- A mass sing along, a great time.

Only The Good Die Young- Everyone standing and dancing for this one.

Piano Man- The sing along of all sing alongs...capped off a great evening.

What a fantastic fun time. I thought this show, though much shorter than his last area appearance, was just as much fun. It would've been great to hear tunes like Great Wall Of China and The Longest Time, but I'm sure those will pop up elsewhere in this 10 night run at Mohegan Sun. Highly Recommended.