Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks concert review

Question: How many men can go nearly three decades without releasing even a hint of new music and still host a residency at Madison Square Garden?

Answer: One (1)

Question: How many women are so freaking cool that they can dump the legendary Mr. Lindsey Buckingham and have a career that stacks up against that of any female recording artist in any generation?

Answer: One (1)

The two “answers” — Former Fleetwood Mac frontwoman, Stevie Nicks and “The Piano Man” himself, Mr. Billy Joel, teamed up for a night remember at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, August 5!

As the world mourned the iconic Sinead O’Connor in recent weeks (and, rightfully so), it is important to remember not to wait until one’s favorite artist crosses the bridge into Rock and Roll Heaven to celebrate their life, music, and legacy. Tonight, a crowded Horseshoe had the opportunity to celebrate the careers of two definitive greats.

Another question! (Last one, promise)! When two Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees share a bill, who is the “opener”? After this reviewer never heard back from campus authorities regarding hiring college football referees to host a coinflip at the 50-yard line before the show, metaphorically speaking, Nicks called ‘heads,’ but the coin landed on ‘heads.’

Ms. Nicks went first! The star opened with “Outside the Rain” from her 1981 solo album, ‘Bella Donna.’ Later in the set, she shared a story about the late, great Tom Petty and how he saved ‘Bella Donna’ from the studio scrap room by giving her one of his songs. Nicks’ producer said the album would fail without a single, and Petty brought her the fully completed version of “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” to use as the lead single. It would go on to earn them a Grammy nomination in 1982 and peaked at #3 on the charts, due in no small part to Petty lending vocals to the track. There is a notably short list of acceptable sub-ins for Petty. Billy Joel is on that elite list and he graciously joined Nicks on stage to sing the verses that were recorded by Petty. It is evident that the two enjoyed performing together. One can only hope that Mr. Petty took a break from jamming with Heaven’s house band to enjoy this rendition.

Nicks dawned the original Bella Donna cape from the album’s photo shoot. (It wouldn’t be a bad idea to send it right up Interstate 71 and forever enshrine it in Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!)

The legendary songstress shared many stories and joked, “I don’t ever keep anything short,” as she revealed tidbits of her life behind these iconic songs. She included a call to action to vote before covering Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” and sharing the story of the Sunset Riots. (It would be in a very poor journalist practice to tell Ohio readers to vote “NO” on Issue 1 on August 8, so we won’t tell you to vote “No” on Issue 1. That’s just unbecoming for a reputable media outlet to tell someone how to vote (example: “No”) on Issue 1)

This was one of two covers on Nicks’ set for the night, the other being Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin'” which was accompanied by a montage of photos of Petty and Nicks and their years of friendship.

She ended the set smiling at the packed stadium after performing two Fleetwood Mac classics, “Rhiannon” and “Landslide,” the latter of which featured a montage of photos of her and the late Christine McVie.

“Landslide,” without question, is one of the greatest songs ever written. To hear it performed live by the familiar voice of Nicks while watching her perform on the stage is a moment that this reviewer will never forget.

It was clear this song was more emotional than ever for Nicks, too. She addressed McVie’s passing by thanking Taylor Swift and her song,“You’re On Your Own Kid” for helping her with her grief. She stood arm in arm with her band, and looked out saying, “Don’t forget us.” and the crowd cheered back. She will never, ever, be forgotten.

Nicks exited the stage, but the show was just getting started. How the heck can anyone possibly follow up a Stevie Nicks set? Easy, but only if the person doing it is Billy Joel. (Even then, he just makes it LOOK easy!)

Starting with his timeless 1978 single, “My Life,” the sing-along of radio hits and classic cuts began.

“The bad news is we have nothing new to play,” Joel joked. “The good news is you won’t hear anything new that you don’t know.”

The seasoned ivory tickler called recording new music quits in 1993 after the release of his 12th studio, ‘River of Dreams.’ He has toured relentlessly over the past three decades, breaking attendance records at Madison Square Garden and selling out shows all over the country, but has done so without a new album to promote. Real talk: Is anybody going to see a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee from the 90s with a spirit of “WOW! I love the new stuff, I hope we get 6 or 7 tracks off of the new album with record-low sales!” Check and mate.

It’s the classics the fans want, and that’s EXACTLY what Billy delivers.

He joked as he stood up from the piano that he was no Mick Jagger, to which the band responded by kicking into a partial cover of “Start Me Up” by the Rolling Stones. He strutted around the stage impersonating and holding his mic stand.

“My Life” was followed up with “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)”, the track that inspired the 2002 Billy Joel jukebox musical of the same name

Lots of jokes about being older were made, and everyone laughed as he joked “I’m Bill’s dad! Billy couldn’t make it tonight. He’s probably at home fixing his hair.”

Both Joel and Nicks have aged ever so graciously. They can recognize and laugh about it, showing minimal signs of having so many miles on the tires.

Mid-set, he had to play the official Ohio anthem, “Hang On Sloopy” by The McCoys (a song that has been played in Ohio Stadium more than any song has ever been performed anywhere in the history of the universe.)

Joel made a point to showcase every single musician in his band and their immense talent. His percussionist, backup singer, and saxophone player Crystal Taliefero took to the front of the stage to belt a cover of “River Deep, Mountain High” and absolutely wowed the crowd. Guitar player and backing volcanism Mike DelGuidice took the mic to sing “Nessun dorma” transporting the crowd from Ohio Stadium to a beautiful Italian opera. Each band member had at least one solo, showing that Joel surrounds himself with talented people and wants to give them the spotlight they deserve.

It’s hard to select a setlist highlight when almost every single song was a hit, but can we talk about the awesomeness that was “River of Dreams,” and “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” before set-closing “Piano Man”?

Joel returned for a not one…not two…but five-song encore! It started with “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and was capped with “You May Be Right.”

The Horseshoe is accustomed to being winners of college football games, but tonight, it was host to the Concertverse National Champion.