Billy Joel Concert (A Pretty Good Crowd for a Saturday)

Jeff heard Billy Joel was going to be in Greenville so we got tickets for a night of re-living the 70's. Walking to the concert from the parking garage this crazy man swerves up to the stoplight just as we're ready to cross the street. He had everyone's attention, including the cops directing traffic. He leans his head out the window and yells to no one in particular, "WHERE's the parking for the ROCK CONCERT!!". Billy Joel never fit my description of a "rocker", at least not the one this wild-eyed, long haired man implied. I wonder if he found the parking garage.

We had opted for the floor seats, down where the die hard fans sit. We were crammed in like sardines. I never sat in the floor seats before, but it is all about getting to know your neighbor. We had some nice ones on both sides. So we all sat squished together and waited. I don't know how they did it? One minute there wasn't a piano on stage and then the next minute there was a big, black shiny grand and BJ's fingers were traveling from one end to the other. He opened up with "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me". (Maybe he does consider himself a rocker).

After every couple songs he stopped and talked to the audience. I like it when the entertainer talks to the audience. Yeah I've heard their records and seen them on TV, but I want to know what they really sound like and if they can have an intelligent conversation with the audience. He could and he's pretty funny!

At one point he discussed the various seats in the house, ensuring almost everyone had good seats because he has one and only one special effect. His special effect is the turning piano. Sometimes you can see him from one side with a good view of the keyboard and then the piano spins on a platform and you get a different view.

He said the seats in the back of the auditorium were good, but for another reason. He points way to the back, "I'm really glad you people sittin' in Virginia bought those seats. I need the money these days, my car insurance is outrageous." (He's had some traffic incidents in the last few years.)

He points to us sitting on the floor seats, calls them the most expensive and the worst because, "There's eight men on a hanging platform above your heads." (Everyone looks up and by gosh there are eight guys up there). "If one of those wires break, its' going to take out at least a hundred of you."

He announces the next song from his first album in 1971. The crowd claps and hoots. Then Billy gets this perplexed look on his face and points down at a 23 year old in the front row who is doing her best to show her excitement, He says, "You weren't even born yet?" The crowd erupts into cheers and laughter.

I was amazed at the number of young kids in the audience. I figured this would be the over 35 crowd. The couple in front of us couldn't have been older than 20. I wanted to know how they were able to pay for the tickets working at McDonald's. But, I'll give this kid credit, he knew all the words to the songs. He even knew the words to "We Didn't Start the Fire" and that puts him in the die hard fan club. Except, I have this image of him learning the words by listening to his dads 8-tracks.

BJ finishes with "Only the Good Die Young" then he and the band leave the stage. But, there is one song the crowd has been waiting to hear and we haven't heard it yet.

Now, in the days before smoking became a criminal offense everyone would "flick their bic" and hold it till the performer came back on stage. Who has a bic now? And if you did, you'd probably be arrested for flicking it in a public place. Jeff elbows me in the side. He's laughing and shaking his head. "Look", he says pointing up in the stadium seats, "Everyone is waving their cell phones". Sure enough the grandstand is lit up with cell phone panels. Hey, you can't fight progress! I get Jeff's cell, flip it open and wave along with everyone else.

The young couple in front of us are frantically waving their cells also. I wonder if they think this is an original thought by their generation. I remember hot summer nights at Arrowhead Stadium, waving lighters. Back then I probably thought it was my generations idea to "flick a bic". Maybe not? Maybe mom and dad waved matches?

Finally the band and BJ are back on stage. You can almost hear the sigh across the auditorium, okay now we are going to get to hear "the song". But it isn't. I lean over to Jeff, "I forgot about that song". Then a few minutes later I'm leaning over to him again. "I forgot about that one too". Then the band walks off the stage and BJ starts walking off also.

The crowd literally "boos" him. He turns around and looks at us like we are nuts. Soon as he turns around the crowd cheers!! So he moves towards the piano, then away from it, teasing us along and laughing the whole time. We do this booing and cheering thing. It's like playing "hot and cold" as a child. That piano is hot and he is not leaving without playing it again.

So he does play again, and I find myself leaning over to Jeff again saying, "I forgot about that song". Then the band and BJ wave good-bye and start walking off the stage again. The booing is louder now than before. This time BJ looks at us like he has no idea what song we want him to play. He shrugs his shoulders and holds his palms up to the crowd. Finally the cheering moves him back to the piano and he takes a seat. "Okay Billy, you have been teasing us long enough."

A deathly silence and tension covers the auditorium. Then, from out of no where, he pulls out his harmonica and we hear the first few notes of that familiar tune. The crowd explodes in applause and cheers as The Piano Man begins to play.

The crowd sings along from the beginning. I notice my 20 year old friend doesn't know the words to this one. Maybe he didn't know that many of the people in the crowd would have come just to hear this one.

On the last verse, we sing out, "It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday". And he finishes the rest. Then it is time for the last refrain, but this time the house lights come up, the band quits playing, Billy quits playing, Billy quits singing and leans back on the keyboard and turns to the audience. We finish the song:

Sing us the song, you're the piano man,
Sing us the song tonight,
Cause we're all in the mood for a melody,
And you've got us feelin' all right.

And He did.....