Billy Joel Postpones Last Madison Square Garden Show of the Year After Contracting ‘Viral Infection’

Thania Garcia
·2 min read
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Billy Joel has postponed his final Madison Square Garden concert of the year, initially slated for Monday evening, due to a “viral infection.”

On Saturday evening, reps for the singer shared a statement with Variety confirming the December show would be pushed to June 2 and said the “Uptown Girl” singer was “under strict doctor’s orders for vocal rest due to a viral infection.”

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“We understand the inconvenience this causes everyone who purchased tickets and we apologize for this unexpected circumstance,” the note continued. Joel uploaded a similar disclaimer onto his Twitter on Sunday morning, stating that he was “hoping to be closer to full recovery by now,” but “sadly, that hasn’t happened.”

Fans who purchased tickets for tomorrow’s show will not have to exchange their tickets for the new show, as they will be honored at the June concert; however, the date is subject to change if it clashes with a playoff game.

The last time Joel postponed shows at the Garden was at the top of the year when the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was spreading in New York. At the time, Joel said it was the best decision for his touring team and announced the rescheduled shows would play out in August.

According to Joel’s team, the remainder of his Madison Square Garden shows will resume as scheduled with a show on January 13 and 27. Joel most recently announced that he will be joining forces with Stevie Nicks for a string of shows kicking off on March 10 at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, with additional appearances by the duo running through Sept. 2023 in cities like Nashville and Philadelphia.

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According to his site, the December show would have been Joel’s 86th monthly and 132nd lifetime show at the Garden, in a residency that dates back to January 2014. The 73-year-old “Piano Man” was the Garden’s first-ever music franchise, joining the likes of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers.

Joel has sold more than 1.5 million tickets and grossed more than $181 million from his MSG residency and has previously featured surprise guest turns from Olivia Rodrigo, Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty, AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, Paul Simon, Miley Cyrus and John Mellencamp.

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