Billy Joel On Vocal Rest After Aus Show; Cancels Madison Square Garden Date

19 December 2022 | 12:15 pm | Dan Cribb

“I’m so sorry to let you know so close to show day."

(Pic by Andrew Briscoe)

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Billy Joel has been forced to cancel his final show of the year on doctor’s orders.

The music legend’s last performance was his massive show in Australia just over a week ago, and since then he’s become unwell.

“I’m disappointed to share that I’m under doctor’s orders for vocal rest due to a viral infection so unfortunately, I must postpone my Monday, December 19th concert at Madison Square Garden to June,” Joel shared with fans.

“I’m so sorry to let you know so close to show day, but I was hoping to be closer to a full recovery by now. Sadly, that hasn’t happened. I look forward to seeing you in the New Year.”

The December 19 show at Madison Square Garden has been rescheduled to June 2, although could be rescheduled if it conflicts with the playoffs.

Currently, Joel’s next live show is scheduled for January 13 at Madison Square Garden.

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Billy Joel’s show at the MCG on December 10 saw him perform back-to-back hits to 76,300 ticket holders with support from Tina Arena.

The Music reviewer Guido Farnell said Joel’s voice was “as commanding as ever” and that “age has not diminished his capacity to deliver a red-hot live show”.

“This matched with the confident gloss of tight musicianship pumped crystal clear through a massive sound system,” Farnell noted.

He added: “Tonight is a joyous celebration of Joel and his career. He is a consummate entertainer who has crafted a fine body of work that has been engineered to have the broadest possible appeal. Thousands of people leave the MCG beaming and looking very satisfied.”

You can read the full review here.

Ahead of the massive performance, we ranked Billy Joel’s Top 10 tracks, the results of which you can find here.