Itzhak Perlman performs with Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden
Itzhak Perlman performed at Billy Joel’s show at Madison Square Garden on February 20, 2020. (Photo credit: Primo Artists)
Itzhak Perlman Guests with Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden
By Scott Bernstein
Jambase
February 21, 2020
Billy Joel welcomed his old friend Itzhak Perlman to share the stage on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Perlman added violin to two songs during The Piano Man’s 73rd consecutive monthly show at The Garden.
Joel opened last night’s concert with “Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Down On Broadway),” “Pressure,” “Vienna” and “The Stranger.” Next up was “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” before Billy and his band played partial covers of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born To Run” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” as well as Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John.
Itzhak Perlman emerged after a run of “Big Man On Mulberry Street,” “New York State Of Mind” and “Allentown.” Perlman augmented Joel and company on their first version of The Nylon Curtain track “Where’s The Orchestra?” since April 5, 2016. The violinist stuck around to add to “The Downeaster Alexa.” Hits “Don’t Ask Me Why” and “She’s Always A Woman” were broken up by another Nylon Curtain deep cut, “A Room Of Our Own.” Then, Billy and his band played “My Life” along with a partial cover of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” and a full take on the Eagles’ “Take It Easy.” Joel ended the night with a string of his most beloved songs including “Scenes From An Italian Restaurant,” “We Didn’t Start The Fire,” “Big Shot” and “You May Be Right.”