{"id":163236,"date":"2026-03-14T12:25:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T12:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/163236\/"},"modified":"2026-03-14T12:25:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T12:25:23","slug":"billy-joel-receives-hometown-tribute-in-new-york-city-with-performances-by-daughter-alexa-ray-joel-rob-thomas-natalie-merchant-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/163236\/","title":{"rendered":"Billy Joel Receives Hometown Tribute in New York City With Performances by Daughter Alexa Ray Joel, Rob Thomas, Natalie Merchant, and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

Once the audience realized the guest of honor was in attendance, the sold-out room stood and chanted \u201cLet\u2019s Go, Billy\u201d halfway into the Michael Dorf Presents: The 21st Annual Music Of tribute concert honoring Billy Joel<\/a> at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 12. At the venue where Joel first played in 1977, the concert ran through his 50-year catalog of songs, performed by Mary Chapin Carpenter, Natalie Merchant<\/a>, Train\u2019s Pat Monahan, Rob Thomas<\/a>, Yola, Rufus Wainwright, and more.<\/p>\n

Each year, 100 percent of the net proceeds from the tribute concert, started by City Winery founder Michael Dorf, benefit non-profit music education organizations, including Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock), Young Audiences NY, Church Street School of Music, Partnership with Children, Jazz Foundation of America, The Orchestra Now, and The Perlman Music Program, among others.<\/p>\n

Dorf opened the night by telling the crowd that the concert had surpassed its goal, raising more than $225,000, which marks the largest fundraising in the history of the Music Of<\/a> series, since its inception in 2004, before handing the stage to Yola, who opened the show with \u201cMovin\u2019 Out (Anthony\u2019s Song).\u201d<\/p>\n

Next, Thomas delivered a soulful \u201cVienna, \u201d adding the second of several songs pulled from Joel\u2019s 1977 album The Stranger throughout the evening.<\/p>\n

[RELATED: Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Depp, and More Salute Patti Smith in New York City]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Billy Joel and daughter Alexa Ray backstage (Photo by Myrna Suarez) <\/p>\n

Led by Joel\u2019s longtime musical director and keyboardist David Rosenthal, performances were backed by a house band of musicians who have worked with Joel for a combined 218 years, including Mark Rivera, Crystal Taliefero, Tommy Byrnes, Andy Cichon, Chuck Burgi, and Carl Fischer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Stranger resurfaced with Monahan on \u201cShe\u2019s Always a Woman,\u201d and Mary Chapin Carpenter delivered one of many pin-drop moments on a gentle rendition of Joel\u2019s 1989 ballad, \u201cAnd So It Goes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBilly Joel is a master songwriting motherf\u2013ker,\u201d said Matt Nathanson, joking about recently going down a Billy Joel rabbit hole, a \u201cJole hole,\u201d and bringing sheet music to the stage since Joel\u2019s songs were filled with many chords. \u201cIf I f\u2013k up these chords, it\u2019s art,\u201d added Nathanson, serving double duty on Joel\u2019s 1989 hit \u201cI Go to Extremes\u201d and \u201cMiami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway).\u201d<\/p>\n

Sitting at the piano, Jon McLaughlin moved through \u201cEverybody Loves You Now\u201d before Joel\u2019s daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, dressed in a black and white bow-tied evening gown, gloves, revisited her father\u2019s \u201cdoo wop\u201d day, joined by the band on \u201cThis Night\u201d from Joel\u2019s 1983 album The Innocent Man.<\/p>\n

\u201cDad, I want to dedicate this song to you,\u201d said Alexa Ray. \u201cAnd I also want to dedicate this song to my mother, who is my golden muse.\u201d<\/p>\n

More songs from The Innocent Man were added in when Rosenthal put a classical spin on Joel\u2019s \u201cThe Longest Time\u201d as a piano sonata, and Curtis Harding took the night back to Joel\u2019s 1983 ode to former wife Christie Brinkley, \u201cUptown Gir<\/a>l.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wainwright reflected on his own daughter before singing the tender \u201cLullabye, Goodnight My Angel,\u201d which was written for Alexa Ray, while Ledisi lit the evening up with a powerful rendition of Joel\u2019s 2024 single \u201cTurn the Lights Back On<\/a>,\u201d co-written with Freddy Wexler<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Violinist Itzhak Perlman reminded the audience of the credit of\u00a0\u201cWorld Famous Incognito Violinist\u201d on Joel\u2019s 1989 album Storm Front, then added, \u201cWell, the secret is out: it\u2019s me. Thank you very much, Billy. Thank you for giving me the opportunity.\u201d Perlman was joined by O.A.R.\u2019s Mark Roberge on a sonorous \u201cThe Downeaster Alexa.\u201d <\/p>\n

Bettye LaVette praised music education and schools, and poured her heart into a soulful \u201cHe\u2019s Got a Way.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the middle of the night, Todd Kamelhar from the Billy Joel Foundation shared words about the organization, which supports music education programs across New York City, and called out Joel, who was in attendance on an upper tier, followed by audience chants of \u201cLet\u2019s Go, Billy.\u201d<\/p>\n

[RELATED: How Freddy Wexler Helped Billy Joel Write \u201cTurn the Lights Back On\u201d]<\/a><\/p>\n

The start of the second half of the show highlighted the importance of music education in schools, when Wyclef Jean was joined by kids who have benefited from the Music Will program on the Joel classic \u201cMy Life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neal Frances brought in a deeper cut from Joel\u2019s 1978 album, 52nd Street, with \u201cStiletto,\u201d and Sammy Rae did the same, offering \u201cGet it Right the First Time\u201d from The Stranger, after offering a jazzy scat around Joel\u2019s classic \u201cRiver of Dreams.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s taught me so much througout my career,\u201d said Rae. \u201cWhat matters is that the song is good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflecting on growing up in a working-class family in Upstate, New York, Merchant remembers thinking \u201che\u2019s singing about us,\u201d before hitting the first notes on the piano of Joel\u2019s 1982 song \u201cAllentown.\u201d <\/p>\n

Higher spirits picked up when Joel\u2019s band returned with \u201cScenes from an Italian Restaurant,\u201d hitting the crescendo in all the right spots. Gavin DeGraw shared how, when he first saw Billy Joel when he was 15 at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, NY, he realized that he should pursue music, and shared \u201cBig Shot.\u201d More New Yorkers came out to honor Joel with Lawrence\u2019s jazz-funk \u201cOnly the Good Die Young.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew McMahon of Jack\u2019s Mannequin also shared memories of listening to Joel\u2019s Greatest Hits \u2013 Volume I & Volume II, and first seeing the Piano Man play in Cleveland, the same city where he would later support Joel in 2017. \u201cIf my 10-year-old self could see me now,\u201d McMahon said, taking up all the acoustics on \u201cPiano Man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking on, seated next to Pink\u00a0and her daughter, Willow Sage Hart, Joel, 76, didn\u2019t perform during the tribute but did receive a second chant, of \u201cBilly\u201d this time, from the audience later in the night. In 2025, Joel was forced to cancel tour dates and take a break from performing after being\u00a0diagnosed with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, a neurological condition that affects hearing, vision, and balance.<\/p>\n

Joel\u2019s tribute closed with a finale, featuring the lineup from the night, on a sing-along to \u201cYou May Be Right.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an incredible honor to celebrate Billy Joel\u2019s extraordinary songbook at Carnegie Hall and to have Billy himself in the room for the evening,\u201d said Dorf, in a statement following the concert. Past Music Of concerts have honored Paul McCartney, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Led Zeppelin, Patti Smith, David Bowie, and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing so many remarkable artists come together to interpret his music \u2014 and witnessing the audience\u2019s response \u2014 was truly special,\u201d added Dorf. \u201cWhat makes the night even more meaningful is the impact it has beyond the stage, helping support music education programs and ensuring the next generation of musicians has the opportunity to learn, create, and be inspired.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Music Of tribute concert will return to Carnegie Hall on March 10, 2027.<\/p>\n

Michael Dorf Presents Music Of Tribute to Billy Joel Setlist:<\/p>\n

\u201cMovin\u2019 Out\u201d \u2014 Yola
\u201cVienna\u201d \u2014 Rob Thomas
\u201cShe\u2019s Always a Woman\u201d \u2014 Pat Monahan
\u201cAnd So It Goes\u201d \u2014 Mary Chapin Carpenter
\u201cI Go to Extremes\u201d \u2014 Matt Nathanson
\u201cMiami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)\u201d \u2014 Matt Nathanson
\u201cEverybody Loves You Now\u201d \u2014 Jon McLaughlin
\u201cThis Night\u201d \u2014 Alexa Ray Joel
\u201cLullabye, Goodnight my Angel\u201d \u2014 Rufus Wainwright
\u201cTurn the Lights Back On\u201d \u2014 Ledisi
\u201cThe Downeaster Alexa\u201d \u2014Mark Roberge and Itzhak Perlman
\u201cHe\u2019s Got a Way\u201d \u2014 Bettye LaVette
\u201cThe Longest Time\u201d (Piano Sonata) \u2014\u00a0David Rosenthal
\u201cMy Life\u201d \u2014 Wyclef Jean and the Music Will Kids
\u201cSiletto\u201d \u2014 Neal Frances
\u201cRiver of Dreams\u201d \u2014 Sammy Rae
\u201cGet it Right the First Time\u201d \u2014 Sammy Rae
\u201cAllentown\u201d \u2014 Natalie Merchant
\u201cScenes from an Italian Restaurant\u201d \u2014 The Billy Joel Band
\u201cUptown Girl\u201d \u2014 Curtis Harding
\u201cBig Shot\u201d \u2014 Gavin DeGraw
\u201cOnly The Good Die Young\u201d \u2014 Lawrence
\u201cPiano Man\u201d \u2014 Andrew McMahon
\u201cYou May Be Right\u201d \u2014 Encore <\/p>\n

Photo: Bobby Bank\/WireImage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Once the audience realized the guest of honor was in attendance, the sold-out room stood and chanted \u201cLet\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":163237,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[28804,5184,67313,9,24,55,54,56,67314],"class_list":["post-163236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-alexa-ray-joel","tag-billy-joel","tag-natalie-merchant","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-ny","tag-rob-thomas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163236\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}