Billy Joel made a surprise guest appearance at New York’s Madison Square Garden, October 29, 2009, joining Bruce Springsteen, The E Street Band, and fellow band mates Mark Rivera (sax) and Tommy Byrnes (guitar), to close the first night, of a two- night celebration, ringing in The Rock and Roll Hall of fame’s 25th anniversary. The first night’s superstar lineup included Crosby, Stills and Nash, Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, Dion, Sting, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, John Fogerty, Jackson Browne and many others. Billy waited patiently back stage as the music played, and the hours turned, enjoying the camaraderie of fellow artists and friends. Following a 12-song set, Bruce broke into one of his classic rock and roll sermons, and one that would forever enjoin Long Island and New Jersey in what Bruce described as “The Rock Summit.” From the shadows into the spot light, Billy walked on stage, taking his seat at a grand piano, just steps from the guitar-wielding Springsteen, and not wasting another second, the New York legends slammed into a few of Joel’s anthems, beginning with ‘You May Be Right,’ ‘Only the Good Die Young’ and ‘New York State of Mind’ before trading verses on Bruce’s epic ‘Born to Run.” The event ran into the 6-hour mark, before a capacity crowd dancing in the isles, ending with an ensemble performance of the 60’s classic ‘Higher and Higher’. “Who counts the minutes when you’re making Rock and Roll history?” one of the events organizers exclaimed. Tom Hanks’s production company taped the star-studded event and aims to edit the two concerts into a four-hour HBO special that airs November 29th. Stay tuned.