Let me mention a couple of things that weve done, he said.
We were the first group to play at Yankee Stadium [in 1990].
We were the last band to play at Shea Stadium [in 2008].
Billy Joel performs onstage during the last show of his residency at Madison Square Garden on July 25, 2024 in New York City.Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
We played Berlin the night that the Berlin Wall came down [in 1990, so not quite].
We were the first American full-fledged performance in the Soviet Union [in 1987].
We played in front of the Coliseum in Rome for a half million people [in 2006].
And the food was great.
But out of all of them, this is the best.
Theres no place like this.
Congratulations, Fallon said.
New York city loves you.
The world loves you.
Youve given us all great memories of being here.
Were actually getting to watch you live a memory.
Youre never going to forget this night here.
Six-year-old Remy sat nervously on the piano, while eight-year-old Della confidently clapped and danced along to the song.
(On the two and the four, honey.)
Might his old touring partnerElton Johncome to finally make peace?
WouldPaul McCartneystop by to repeat the end of Last Play at Shea?
The show wrapped up with the sound of breaking glass and You May Be Right.
Without even meaning to, Joel and Rose packed six decades of arena rock into six minutes.
It was a perfect way to end the residency.
To be clear, Joel isnt retiring.
He heads to Cardiff, England, next month to play a stadium show with opening act Chris Isaak.
Hes never been more popular as a live attraction even though he turned 75 a few years back.
(If you close your eyes, he still sounds about 45.
The power of his singing voice is an absolute miracle.)
One day he may even return to Madison Square Garden.
And if he feels like sticking around after that for another decade or so, nobody will mind.
