Billy Joel turns back the clock

The cheers that greeted Billy Joel and his new band last week at the Charlotte Coliseum often reached the wild pitch associated with the appearance of a teen idol, not a middle-aged singer songwriter. Many critics had written off Joel as a has-been, but since the recent release of a new album River of Dreams the rocker has returned to the stage with renewed energy and popularity.

After a four-year break from touring, Billy Joel has been selling out shows for the last six months and has picked up a new set of younger fans along the way. In Charlotte, the crowd of 20,000 spanned at least a couple of generations as Joel put on an inspiring 20-song program that covered the entire length and breath of his career.

Moving back and forth among four pianos scattered across the stage, Joel took hold of the crowd as he raced between keyboards, juggled microphone stands, climbed speaker towers and basically gave a performance befitting a younger man. Somehow this rocker has survived the pop scene over the last twenty years, and as he told the audience, "I'm happy to be here at 44 years. For a while I didn't think I would make it."

The show started on a relatively slow note with a few new songs, but soon Joel uncorked a list of hits and familiar album tracks, with the crowd eagerly contributing harmonies whenever the occasion arose. It was the older classics like "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" and "Only the Good Die Young" that set the mood for the evening. Other standouts included "Allentown," "My Life," and "Angry Young Man".

Joel surprised the audience near the end of the show by playing guitar on a cover of Jimmy Hendrix's "Purple Haze," which cranked up the scene for a singalong encore of "Piano Man." By the end of the concert, the crowd was on their feet, and Joel proved that he can still put out an excellent performance.

I spoke briefly to Joel in a local hotel after the concert, and despite the draining show, this consummate showman was still full of energy. Upon hearing that I drove in from Duke, he recalled playing a show on campus back in the late 1970's. Joel also said he was excited to be back on tour and looked forward to the upcoming concerts. When asked how he was holding up with the hectic schedule, Joel replied "It's not as easy as it used to be!"

Although it was now about 1 AM, Joel had put on a fresh set of clothes and left the hotel to meet his band for a night out in Charlotte. With an energetic concert, a Grammy nominated hit record, and a solid core of fans, The "Piano Man" showed no signs of slowing down in the `90's.

Watch for Billy Joel to return to the area with a show at the Dean Dome, Chapel Hill on April 12th. Tickets go on sale Friday.