Billy Joel's 100th residency special cut short on CBS during 'Piano Man' performance

Jessica Wang
·3 min read
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The network issued an apology and announced a rebroadcast for April 19.

Where's the fire, what's the hurry about, CBS?

The broadcast of Billy Joel's 100th residency special at Madison Square Garden was cut short mid-performance of "Piano Man" for local news programming on Sunday night, much to the disappointment of viewers.

Hailed as a celebration of Joel's historic run at the New York City venue, Billy Joel: The 100th - Live at Madison Square Garden marked the musician's first concert to air on a broadcast network — but it was not without its hiccups.

<p>Kevin Mazur/Getty </p> Billy Joel performs during his 100th show at Madison Square Garden on March 28.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Billy Joel performs during his 100th show at Madison Square Garden on March 28.

The broadcast was delayed by 30 minutes due to the 2024 Masters Tournament for some viewers and ultimately cut off during the final verse of the song.

CBS later issued an apology to fans and announced a rebroadcast on the night of Friday, April 19. "A network programming timing error ended last night's Billy Joel special approximately two minutes early in the eastern and central time zones," a spokesperson said. "We apologize to Mr. Joel, his fans, our affiliated stations, and our audience whose viewing experience was interrupted during the last song. Due to the overwhelming demand from his legion of fans, BILLY JOEL: THE 100TH – LIVE AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN will be rebroadcast in its entirety on CBS on April 19th at 9 p.m. ET/PT.”

The concert special was filmed during Joel's record-breaking 100th consecutive performance at Madison Square Garden on March 28. The Grammy winner has sold out the venue more times than any other artist. The special night included appearances by Jerry Seinfeld and Sting. For those who missed out on the full experience, Billy Joel: The 100th can now be streamed on Paramount+.

On whether his 100th show felt any different from his 99th, Joel recently quipped to USA Today, "Well, yeah because there were a bunch of cameras on stage! I’ve been playing [Madison Square Garden] since the ‘70s. The 100 just happened to be a round number and happened to coincide with a Garden show I was already doing."

The 74-year-old musician, fresh off an appearance at the 2024 Grammys, is currently touring, including several more sold-out shows at the Garden.

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