by Lily Qian
Billy Joel, creator of Piano Man and the man who holds the lifetime record for the artist with the most performances at Madison Square Garden in New York City, came to SUNY Geneseo for a whopping $7,000 in 1976. During this time, that price was affordable for the university, and everybody wanted him to come perform. Released in 1973, “Piano Man” was one of Billy Joel’s biggest hits and became his signature song. He was able to perform this work of art three years later at Geneseo’s Schrader Gymnasium. Tom Matthews recalls planning for the show with Billy Joel during those days, saying that it was extremely hectic during December.
December was the month of finals for all the students, making it difficult for many students to attend many concerts. To top it off, Chuck Mangione, another artist, was to come on Thursday, while Billy Joel was scheduled to come on Tuesday, which meant that two artists were going to perform back-to-back during the same week. Tom Matthews was worried that there would be an imbalance between the student outcomes for the two different performances, so he came up with a clever idea of joining the tickets together. SUNY Geneseo ended up selling the tickets as a two-for-one, where students could buy a single ticket to see both artists for a cheap price of $4.00. As a result, both performances received high turnout rates of students.
Matthews remembers Billy Joel’s show very well, saying that “it was a phenomenal show. He was an amazing performer, with great stage presence, and I recommend you see him if you ever get a chance.” Following his performance at SUNY Geneseo, Joel has continued to create music, including a few albums such as The River of Dreams. His lyrics are taken from his life, exploring his day-to-day experiences, as well as more serious matters like betrayal from those closest to him. Now seventy-two years old, Billy Joel still performs to this day and will even be at Madison Square Garden on November 5, 2021, so if you are interested, buy your ticket now!