Billy Joel Brings New York State of Mind to Seoul
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
American rock-and-roll legend Billy Joel is finally coming for his first concert in Seoul this November. Joel, nicknamed the Piano Man, will perform Nov. 15 at the Olympic Gym, Olympic Park, southern Seoul.
The 59-year-old singer has sold over 150 million albums around the world, and is considered the 6th best-selling artist of all time in the United States. Joel is also an accomplished songwriter, winner of six Grammy Awards and plays the piano, keyboards, guitar, harmonica and accordion.
Among Joel's best known songs are ``New York State of Mind,'' ``Just the Way You Are,'' ``She's Always a Woman,'' ``My Life,'' ``Uptown Girl,'' ``Honesty'' and ``We Didn't Start the Fire.''
Born in 1949 in New York, Joel took piano lessons at a young age because his father was a classical pianist. But he was only inspired to pursue a music career, after watching the Beatles on television in 1964. At 14, he joined a local band, the Echoes.
In 1971, Joel released his first solo album ``Cold Spring Harbor.'' He achieved breakthrough success with the album ``Piano Man,'' whose title track was a big hit. Joel is still often referred to as the Piano Man, not just because of his hit song but also for his talent on the piano.
Joel has released 12 studio albums, including ``Turnstiles,'' ``The Stranger,'' ``52nd Street,'' ``Glass Houses'' and ``Storm Front.'' He has not released a new album since ``River of Dreams'' in 1993, but released a single ``All My Life'' in 2007. He has already been inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Aside from his studio albums, Joel has also released `` Fantasies & Delusions,'' a collection of classical piano pieces in 2001. He composed all the pieces, which were performed by Richard Joo.
Joel also worked on a musical ``Movin' Out,'' based on 24 of his songs, which ran on Broadway from 2002 to 2005. He was composer, lyricist and orchestrator, and won a Tony Award for his work.
Last July, Joel played two sold-out concerts ``Last Plays at Shea'' at the famed Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets, before it was demolished. Guests at his concert on July 16 and 18 included Tony Bennett, John Mayer, Steven Tyler and Paul McCartney. The two concerts were attended by close to 125,000 fans.
Tickets for the Seoul concert go on sale Sept. 5 at the Web site ticket.auction.co.kr. Prices range from 80,000 won to 180,000 won. Hyundai Card holders can avail of a 20 percent discount. For English inquiries and reservations, send email to ticket@b4hent.com.