As American singer/songwriters go, few have had careers as enduring and endearing as Billy Joel. There’s a reason for that: few have earned it like he has.
Sure, the 59-year-old New York icon has hit some personal lows in the latter half of his 40-year-plus musical stint ... so what? Besides a few forgivable missteps, his catalogue is one of astounding consistency - which was glaringly evident during the first of 10 shows at Mohegan Sun Friday night.
Joel’s entrance was stately: his piano rose from beneath a stage cloaked in darkness while the majestic sound of brass and strings swelled over the PA system. When the lights came up he crouched over the keys and pounded out “The Angry Young Man,” an arguably autobiographical signature tune.. The slow-to-fill sold-out house magically packed once the music began.
Joel’s character study continued with “My Life” and “The Entertainer,” while his five-piece band (periodically expanded to seven) chugged dutifully along. Despite a slightly garbled sound mix, the Long Island native came across as calm, confident and capable. True, his voice is weathered on the edges, but the aged nuances of his vibrato are, for the most part, quite becoming.
The good stuff kept coming: the hooks that made “Allentown” a radio staple have retained their power; the baseball-themed “Zanzibar” was rife with delicious jazzy nuances, and Carl Fischer’s powerhouse horn solo was an adventurous delight. “New York State of Mind” triumphed with Mark Rivera’s expressive sax, and “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” featured Rivera, Fischer and percussion madwoman Crystal Taliefero on a charged, triple-sax finish. The alternating youthful tension and release portrayed in “Captain Jack” was no less poignant despite the songs (and Joel’s) age.
There were no fussy backdrops, laser beams or projected film images. And there didn’t need to be: Joel and his songs require no secondary stimulation. Even when he stepped away from the piano to play guitar while a roadie nicknamed Chainsaw belted out AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell,” Joel’s focus was maintained, even if the stunt seemed unnecessary (although not too badly rendered, truth told).
Joel’s encores of the suite-like “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” and “Piano Man” were enough to make even the most stoic attendees go limp with misty-eyed sentimentality, serving as proof of the power in his carefully chosen words. Less time-ravaged than fellow piano god Sir Elton John and more accessible than the ever-rustic Bruce Springsteen, Joel’s made an indelible contribution to American musical culture. Friday’s performance was further confirmation that he’s in a class by himself. Chances are the Angry Young Man likes it that way.
At Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn., Friday night. Continues tonight, Thursday, Saturday; June 13, 15, 26 and 28; and July 3 and 5.
