AN ALWAYS LIVE EVENT
Saturday 10 December – Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 4 JULY
Frontier Touring, the Victorian Government and ALWAYS LIVE are thrilled to announce one of the greatest singer/songwriter/composers of modern times, Billy Joel, will perform one night only in Australia on Saturday 10 December, with a history-making performance at the iconic stadium Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
An artist who requires little introduction, Billy Joel is one of the biggest concert draws in the world. Having sold over 150 million records and scoring six GRAMMY® wins from 23 nominations, Joel ranks as one of the most popular and respected entertainers in history – the sixth best-selling recording artist of all time, and the third best-selling solo artist. Tickets to this exclusive concert – Joel’s first live performance in Melbourne in 14 years – will go on sale Monday 4 July (10am AEST) via frontiertouring.com/billyjoel. Frontier Members can access the Frontier Pre-sale, which starts Thursday 30 June (11am AEST).
Telstra Members can also get exclusive access to the Telstra Plus Member pre-sale, which starts 10am AEST Monday 27 June via telstra.com/music.
Watch a message from Billy Joel:
Performing one Australian show only in Melbourne’s most iconic stadium, the concert is presented in partnership with ALWAYS LIVE, a state-wide celebration of contemporary live music supported by the Victorian Government through Visit Victoria.
‘I’m happy to announce that I’m finally coming to Australia to do one exclusive show at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as part of ALWAYS LIVE. It’s been a really long time since I’ve been there, I’m really looking forward to coming and I’m bringing the whole family and we’re going to enjoy it. I’ll see you there.’ – Billy Joel
Billy Joel’s anthology has soundtracked the lives of millions, his impeccable musicianship and transcendent songs recognised worldwide. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1999, Joel received The Kennedy Center Honors (one of the USA’s top cultural awards) in 2013. In 2014, he received both The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song and the once-in-a-century ASCAP Centennial Award – the latter presented to American music icons in recognition of their incomparable accomplishments in their respective music genres and beyond. In 2016, the Library of Congress selected ‘Piano Man’ for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its “cultural, historic, and artistic significance.” He’s the recipient of numerous other awards, including a Tony (for Movin’ Out, a Broadway musical based on his music), MusiCares Person Of The Year, and an inductee in the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.
‘Piano Man’, ‘You May Be Right’, ‘Always a Woman’, ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’, ‘Uptown Girl’, ‘Big Shot’, ‘It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me’, ‘Only the Good Die Young’, ‘New York State of Mind’… the hunger to see this highly influential songwriter remains undiminished.
Says ALWAYS LIVE Chair and Mushroom Group CEO Matt Gudinski:
‘What a coup for Victoria, the music capital, to have one of the greatest artists of our era perform exclusively in Melbourne at one of the greatest stadiums in the world.
To work with ALWAYS LIVE to bring his show to the ‘G fulfils a dream my great father and I had… To host Billy here in Melbourne is truly special.’
Frontier Touring CEO Dion Brant says:
‘It is incredibly rare to have stadium level artists travel all the way to Australia to play one off shows. To announce Billy Joel for one night only at the MCG after the success of the Foo Fighters early this year is a great coup for Victoria and something that our team at Frontier are proud to be able to deliver.’
As the first-ever music franchise at New York City’s Madison Square Garden (other franchises being the New York Knicks and New York Rangers), Joel began his record-breaking residency at the storied arena back in January 2014, performing one show every month “as long as the demand continues”. Incredibly, October 2022 will see Joel performing his 84th monthly and 130th show at The Garden, before he heads down to Melbourne for the one-off AU show.
‘For nearly 2 ½ hours Joel, clad in his usual uniform of black suit and tie, hopscotched through 50 years of hits… Playing on his traditional open-backed stage, Joel’s piano slowly rotated every few songs to ensure facetime with fans on all sides’ – USA Today
‘Joel closed out the regular setlist by strapping on a harmonica and performing his biggest – and first – hit, Piano Man. The opening keys brought the stadium to its collective feet, and by the time the song’s final chorus came around, Joel stopped singing and let the crowd take over.’ – Las Vegas Sun
‘There’s no real precedent in rock history for Joel’s monthly Madison Square Garden residency … a key part of the New York City cultural scene, as important as any Broadway musical or jazz club’ – Rolling Stone
Revered not just by critics and fans but also by fellow musicians, Joel’s songs have been covered many times, each version a fascinating insight on his impact and lasting influence.
Frontier Touring, the Victorian Government and ALWAYS LIVE are thrilled to welcome back the inimitable Billy Joel for this exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime stadium event. Don’t miss this magical performer, live at the MCG!
BILLY JOEL
MELBOURNE CRICKET GROUND
DECEMBER 2022
Presented by Frontier Touring, ALWAYS LIVE and Gold 104.3
TELSTRA PLUS (AU) PRE-SALE
via Telstra.com/Music
Runs 48 hours from: Monday 27 June (10am AEST)
or until pre-sale allocation exhausted
FRONTIER MEMBERS PRE-SALE
via frontiertouring.com/billyjoel
Runs 24 hours from: Thursday 30 June (11am AEST)
or until pre-sale allocation exhausted
GENERAL PUBLIC ON SALE
Begins: Monday 4 July (10am AEST)
Saturday 10 December
MCG, Melbourne, VIC
An ALWAYS LIVE Event
Licensed All Ages
Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849
Patrons are advised to purchase tickets only through authorised ticket sellers. We cannot guarantee any ticket purchase made through any means other than the official ticketing agents listed on the Frontier website.