“I’m on doctor’s orders to rest my voice,” he said earlier today.
Billy Joel has cancelled his final show for 2022, a sold-out at Madison Square Garden in New York scheduled for tomorrow (December 19), due to a viral infection.
“I’m disappointed to share that I’m under doctor’s orders for vocal rest due to a viral infection, so unfortunately, I must defer my Monday, December 19 concert at Madison Square Garden to June,” Joel said in a statement posted to social media earlier today (December 18).
“I’m so sorry to let you know so close to show day, but I was hope to be closer to a full recovery by now. Unfortunately, this has not occurred. I hope to see you in the coming year.”
According to Joel’s website, tomorrow’s cancelled show has been rescheduled for Friday, June 2. Tomorrow’s show would have been Joel’s tenth at Madison Square Garden in 2022 and the 86th in his ongoing monthly residency; it will now be the 91st.
With a total of 131 dates, the generational rock icon holds the record for most shows ever performed at the equally legendary venue (more than doubling the number of shows played by The Grateful Dead, who come in second place with 53 dates).
Joel last performed there on November 23 and has since performed in Auckland and Melbourne.
Before the makeup date on June 2, Joel will perform at Madison Square Garden on Friday, January 13, Tuesday, February 14 (Valentine’s Day), Sunday, March 26, Saturday, April 22, and Friday, May 5. At the time of writing, the residency’s final show is scheduled for June 2.
On August 24, Joel invited Olivia Rodrigo to join him in performing ‘Uptown Girl’ and her song ‘Deja Vu’ at the venue.
Joel will perform in Florida, Ontario, Texas, Tennessee, Philadelphia, Ohio, Missouri, and Massachusetts. Joel was recently announced as the latest headliner of BST Hyde Park’s 2023 programme outside North America. He’ll perform for the series on Friday, July 7, his only appearance in the UK this year.
