Billy Joel gave his fans a New Year’s surprise and paid a band that covers his music the ultimate compliment, sitting in with it for a few songs at Wellington’s 30th birthday bash on Jan. 2.
Joel, who owns Middlesea Farms along Palm Beach Point Boulevard in the village, took the stage for a two-song concert during the tribute band Turnstiles’ show at the village amphitheater.
He wore a winter jacket and a black cap and walked with the help of a cane amid his recovery from a medical condition. There was no mistaking his voice, however, as he launched into his 1989 hit, “We Didn’t Start The Fire,” followed by “Big Shot,” which he recorded in 1978.
“I wasn’t planning on working tonight,” Joel said with a laugh as he sat at the keyboard before the band, which takes its name from an album Joel released in 1976, began to play. His daughters Della and Remy danced alongside during the two-song set.
Joel’s career in music spans more than 50 years. He released his first albums in the early 1970s and became one of pop music biggest acts with the release of “The Stranger” in 1977.
In the years that followed, he began to building ties to Palm Beach County, buying homes in Manalapan as well as the property in Wellington. Recent reports had him building a home in Boca Raton.
He stopped recording for several years but was a performer in residence at Madison Square Garden from 2014 through 2024, performing sold-out shows each month at New York’s signature indoor arena. A recent bout with a buildup of fluid on his brain had led Joel, now 76, to stop other live shows indefinitely.
Those at the village’s birthday fest were grateful to have had a glimpse of him, sending him off stage with chants of “Bill-y! Bill-y! Bill-y!”
Tom Elia is an editor at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at telia@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Billy Joel plays surprise two-song set at Wellington’s 30th birthday
Reporting by Tom Elia, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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