View Exclusive Photos – Billy Joel on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Billy Joel, who will put tickets for his summer stadium tour, as well as the April installment of his Madison Square Garden residency, on sale Friday, rarely does TV interviews these days. And Stephen Colbert pulled out all the stops for Joel’s first appearance on his show, projecting images of piano keys in the dome of the Ed Sullivan Theater, putting up a sign of “Who Started the Fire?” possibilities and even singing a song made up of Joel song titles directly to him. … Of course, Joel’s best contribution was an unscheduled performance of “Miami 2017 (I’ve Seen the Lights Go Out On Broadway)” that had Colbert dancing behind the scenes. – Newsday

Joel ranked his top five favorite Billy Joel songs in a lengthy interview with The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Monday. The legendary singer-songwriter ticked off “Vienna,” “And So It Goes,” “You May Be Right,” “She’s Right On Time” and “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” as his go-to picks. In a lighter turn, Joel and Stephen Colbert rattled off hilarious song theories in “True Stories Behind the Hits.” Joel cracked: “‘Piano Man’ was originally a superhero character … and I wanted to make a movie where he teamed up with Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’ to fight Bob Dylan’s ‘Tambourine Man.'” – Rolling Stone

Billy Joel got comfortable on the couch on The Late Show Monday night (Jan. 9), chilling out for three segments and patiently watching as host Stephen Colbert performed a medley of his favorite tunes by the Piano Man, then offering Colbert his best Tony Bennett impersonation, telling a great Bruce Springsteen story, ranking his favorite compositions and capping it all off by performing “Miami 2017” at Colbert’s request. – Billboard

Billy Joel Interview Part 1

Billy Joel Interview Part 2

Billy Joel Performs ‘Miami 2017 (I’ve Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)’

Billy Joel makes a guest appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on January 9, 2017 in New York, NY.

Billy Joel performs “Miami 2017 (I’ve Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)” with Jon Batiste and the Stay Human band during his guest appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on January 9, 2017 in New York, NY.

Fans wait outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, NY, to see The Late Show With Stephen Colbert with guest Billy Joel on January 9, 2017.

Billy Joel and Stephen Colbert backstage for Billy’s guest appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on January 9, 2017 in New York, NY.

Billy Joel performs “Miami 2017 (I’ve Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)” with Jon Batiste and the Stay Human band during his guest appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on January 9, 2017 in New York, NY.

Official photos by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS and Jeff Schock