The Piano Man will be returning to San Diego this year after more than a decade -- and it’s the only California show that Billy Joel is playing.
On May 14, Joel will light Petco Park on fire in what will be his first San Diego performance since he and Elton John brought their Face to Face tour here 15 years ago. Joel has been on the road on his latest tour since early 2014, and there are no signs of letting up: Just last week, Captain Jack added what will likely be his 31st sold-out consecutive show at Madison Square Garden (in July).
But San Diego isn’t as fortunate as New York when it comes to frequency. In 20 years, Joel has played here only twice -- until May 14 bumps that up to thrice, making tickets to the show an even hotter commodity. American Express card-holders get first dibs from Monday, Jan. 18, at 10 a.m. PT, to Thursday, Jan. 21, at 10 p.m. PT (click here to snap them up, AmEx cardholders), while the general public has to wait until 10 a.m. PT on Jan. 22. Ticket prices range from $49.50 to $134.50. Those can be bought from LiveNation.com, at the Padres website or by phone at 619-795-5555. Padres members have 24 hours to scoop them up starting at 10 a.m. on Jan. 20
Billy Joel fans, however, should check SoundDiego's and NBC 7's Facebook pages for a chance to win FOUR front-row tickets before we draw the winning name on Thursday, Jan. 21, at midnight.
The very first single Joel ever released became his signature. "Piano Man" peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 but has since risen in popularity -- Joel often plays it to close out his live sets (as he did the last two times he played San Diego). The third best-selling solo artist of all time (more than 150 million copies sold) has received myriad accolades throughout his career, including six Grammys and the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song (a lifetime achievement award for promoting cultural understanding through music). He was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 1992, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame seven years later, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
When Joel plays San Diego in May, he’ll join other music icons that Petco Park has hosted in recent years, including Paul McCartney in 2014 and the Rolling Stones last May.
Hannah Lott-Schwartz, a San Diego native, moved back to the area after working the magazine-publishing scene in Boston. Now she’s straight trolling SD for all the music she missed while away. Want to help? Hit her up with just about anything at all over on Twitter, where -- though not always work-appropriate -- she means well.
