BILLY JOEL IN CONCERT MODA CENTER – PORTLAND, OR FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8
FIRST SOLO APPEARANCE IN PORTLAND IN 10 YEARS
PORTLAND, OREGON [February 16, 2017] – Moda Center & Live Nation announced today that legendary musician Billy Joel returns to Portland’s Moda Center on Friday, December 8, 2017. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, February 24 at 10 a.m.
“It’s an honor to welcome Rock & Roll legend Billy Joel back to Portland,” said Amanda Mann, Vice President and General Manager of Rose Quarter Operations. “We know his fans have been anxiously awaiting his return since he last electrified the crowd in Portland 10 years ago. Experiencing Billy Joel LIVE in concert at the Northwest’s premier entertainment venue will surely be a thrill for our city, state and indeed the entire region.”
In December 2013, Billy Joel became Madison Square Garden’s first-ever music franchise, joining the ranks of the storied venue’s other original franchises – the New York Knicks, Rangers, and Liberty. Since January 2014, Joel has played one show per month at The Garden as part of the Time Warner Cable Concert Series. This unprecedented and wildly successful residency has led to 36 sold-out shows through December 2016.
Billy Joel is one of the biggest concert draws in the world and continues this achievement with an impressive run of sold-out consecutive stadium shows and concert arenas. Having sold 150 million records over the past quarter century, scoring 33 consecutive Top 40 hits, Billy Joel ranks as one of the most popular recording artists and respected entertainers in history. The singer/songwriter/composer is the sixth best-selling recording artist of all time and the third best-selling solo artist. In 2016, the Library of Congress selected “Piano Man” for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its “cultural, historic, and artistic significance.”
In November 2014, Billy Joel received both The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, which honors living musical artists’ lifetime achievement in promoting the genre of song as a vehicle of cultural understanding; entertaining, and informing audiences; and inspiring new generations, and the once-in-a-century ASCAP Centennial Award, which is presented to American music icons in recognition of their incomparable accomplishments in their respective music genres and beyond.
In December 2013, Joel received The Kennedy Center Honors, one of the United States’ top cultural awards. He is also the recipient of six GRAMMY® Awards, including the prestigious Grammy Legend Award. Joel has been inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has received numerous industry awards including a TONY AWARD for “Movin’ Out,” a Broadway musical based on Joel’s music. For his accomplishments as a musician and as a humanitarian, Joel was honored as the 2002 MusiCares Person Of The Year by the MusiCares Foundation and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.
Joel has also performed alongside other music greats at two of Madison Square Garden’s most extraordinary benefit concerts – “12-12-12, The Concert For Sandy Relief,” which raised awareness and money for those affected by Hurricane Sandy, and “The Concert for New York City,” which was held to help aid 9/11 victims and heroes. Billy Joel received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, adding another milestone to his brilliant career.
TICKETS: Tickets go on sale Friday, February 24 at 10:00 a.m. at LiveNation.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone 1-800-745-3000. All tickets subject to applicable service charges and fees. Dates and times subject to change without notice.
ABOUT MODA CENTER
Moda Center is a $267 million multi-purpose arena that opened in the fall of 1995 and serves as the home of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, and AFL’s Portland Steel. In addition to basketball, hockey, and football, Moda Center hosts a wide variety of events such as concerts, family shows, and other sporting events. In 2009, 2012, and 2015, the Moda Center hosted the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds. Widely known for its innovative approaches to sustainability and sound environmental practices, Moda Center earned LEED Gold Recertification in 2015 after becoming the first existing professional sports venue in the world to receive LEED Gold status in 2010. Enhanced by more than $20 million in recent capital improvements, Moda Center is positioned as the leading entertainment venue in the Pacific Northwest. It features excellent guest seating, various luxury suite options, innovative in-venue technology, and award-winning regional food and beverage menus managed by Levy Restaurants.