Don and I along with Peter and Robbie Innes thoroughly enjoyed the Billy Joel concert in Glasgow last night, along with thousands of other folks of all ages. In fact, we think some fans came from Northern England by the busloads. Don estimates there were close to 10,000 in the convention centre.
The last time Billy was in Glasgow was 1998. It just so happened that I flew into Glasgow the following day and stayed with a couple who had been at the concert the night before. He is very popular over here. Strangely, though, many people here pronounce his surname "Jo-el" as in Noel.
Don and I can't remember when we last saw him in concert; it's been over 10 years. It didn't matter because Billy Joel has always sung his old songs in concert, rather than just concentrating on plugging his latest album. Concert-goers routinely sing every song along with him and last night was no exception. My guess, however, is that Billy has rarely heard a more tuneful audience singing his songs back to him, for the Glaswegians love to sing and have wonderful voices.
We sang and whooped and hollered and clapped and so forth through the whole 3 hours (almost) of the show. Billy may have lost a lot of his hair but he hasn't lost any of his energy. His voice is good, strong, expressive, and although his back-up band is almost totally new, they are top-notch. The one member of the group from the "old days" is his fabulous saxophonist, Mark Rivera, whose solos on "Italian Restaurant" and "Just the Way You Are" are legendary. I think you could safely say that it was a most satisfying concert enjoyed by all.
Don somehow managed to get up and out to play golf with the Comrie Seniors before I even got out of bed at 8 this morning. The least I can do is get out and clip back a few evergreens.
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