Billy Joel At Fenway Park For His First Concert Back Was A Fucking Dream
What a 2 hours, man. It's been a steady 18 months (I believe that's right) since Billy Joel's last concert he did and probably about 20 months since the last one I attended. So when I saw that his first concert post-pandemic would be at Fenway Park I simply knew I had to make the pilgrimage. How could I not? What kind've of a fan would it be if I didn't? Not to mention it's definitely quite odd that the first concert back was in Boston...Maybe my guy feels shunned by the Garden for making the Foo Fighters its first concert back and not him? Because I would've had him as a Tyson/Douglas-esque favorite to reopen the Garden. So ANYWAYS it was on. Wednesday August 4th at Fenway Park. Gameday.
The whole day I was very worried about the rain. All I saw was rain, rain, rain in the forecast so that fucking sucked yet the ticket said rain or shine so I guess we got worked up over nothing. Me and my buddy eventually got settled into our hotel and left to go check out some of the bars in the area around 5ish. We settled on Landsdowne Pub which had absolutely pleasant wings & VERY interesting looking fries. The closest thing I could describe them as is flat potato wedges. After we got that fuel engine it was time to head inside for the 7:30 start. I've only been to one Sox game in my life & it was over a decade so this was fucking cool to see. Fenway DOES NOT disappoint. What a vibe there...especially in the concourse as you're just walking around to find your seats.
We grabbed a few beverages (Fenway having High Noons was as pleasant a surprise as they come) and hit the seats. The rain was flowing but nothing unmanageable. Me, My Balls Beachwear, my shitty shoes, and my khaki shorts were living & thriving.
The God himself came out pretty much right on time at 7:42 and hit us with my life to start. Smiles were done. T'was a long time coming.
A Zanzibar request was made on twitter so I easily obliged. Shoutout to the wifi at Fenway. Remarkably good.
The bangers, of course, continued throughout the night as pretty much every single song is a banger. The only downfall of the evening was deciding to pee on River of Dreams which sadly led into Only the Good Die Young so I missed half of that…I'm a sucker for only the Only The Good Die Young. We were nearing the end as it was time for the highlight of the night. The #1 song ever made. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant. I meant this tweet. It's literally all downhill from there. What a fucking moment.
He then went off for a minute to come back to a LOCKED AND LOADED encore. We Didn't Start The Fire, Uptown Girl, Still Rock N' Roll to Me, Big Shot, You May Be Right, and…..
drum roll please
Piano Man.
What a song. What a venue. What a guy. A glorious night I will never forget.