NEW YORK: Bruce Springsteen propped himself on top of Billy Joel’s piano to sing a duet with The Piano Man, who was celebrating his 100th concert at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.
Joel told the energetic crowd he had a guest coming onstage who has won a Grammy, Oscar and Tony. Springsteen emerged, surprising the feverish and fanatic audience, who loudly cheered “BRUCE.”
“Congratulations Billy on your 100th show,” Springsteen yelled.
“Ready, Billy?” he asked, as Joel began to play while sitting at the piano.
Springsteen encouraged the crowd to cheer louder and then sang “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.” He jumped onto Joel’s piano — making it on his second try — and sat on it while Joel played and the piano slowly spun. Springsteen then rocked his guitar for “Born to Run.”
Joel, 69, and Springsteen, 68, hugged after their two-song performance, and The Boss kissed Joel on his head as he walked offstage.
A banner celebrating Joel’s 100th performance at MSG rose to the ceiling near the top of the two-hour-plus concert. Joel started performing a monthly residency at the arena in 2014. No artist has performed at the famed venue more than Joel.
“Good evening to you New York City,” said Joel, whose two-year-old daughter, Della Rose Joel, sat on his lap. “I want to thank you all for coming to our show.”
Joel was excited throughout his set, going from piano to harmonica to guitar. He put on his sunglasses while he passionately sang “New York State of Mind” and twirled his microphone stand in the air and danced happily after singing “Uptown Girl.”
He said he had to think of a special song to sing to celebrate his new milestone, and then performed “This Is the Time.”
“Maybe it’ll hit me later,” he said of his new feat.
Earlier on Wednesday Governor Andrew Cuomo proclaimed July 18, 2018 as “Billy Joel Day.” Joel, who was born in the Bronx, first performed at MSG on December 14, 1978. His piano is on display in front of the venue.
Bruce Springsteen surprises audience at Billy Joel concert
Bruce Springsteen surprises audience at Billy Joel concert
Berlinale responds to backlash over Gaza-related comments
The Berlin International Film Festival has issued a statement after what organisers described as a growing “media storm” linked to comments about the war in Gaza and the broader role of politics in cinema.
Festival director Tricia Tuttle released a lengthy note late Saturday following criticism directed at several high-profile guests. The controversy began during the opening day press conference when jury president Wim Wenders was asked about the conflict in Gaza. He responded: “We have to stay out of politics because if we make movies that are dedicatedly political, we enter the field of politics,” a remark that sparked swift backlash online.
Indian author Arundhati Roy later withdrew from the festival, reportedly angered by the remarks.
Other prominent figures, including Michelle Yeoh and Neil Patrick Harris, also faced online criticism after responding cautiously to questions about politics. Harris stated that he was interested in “doing things that were ‘apolitical,’” a comment that further fuelled debate.
In her statement, Tuttle defended the festival and its participants, stressing the importance of artistic freedom. “People have called for free speech at the Berlinale. Free speech is happening at the Berlinale. But increasingly, filmmakers are expected to answer any question put to them. They are criticised if they do not answer. They are criticised if they answer and we do not like what they say. They are criticised if they cannot compress complex thoughts into a brief sound bite when a microphone is placed in front of them when they thought they were speaking about something else,” she said.
She added: “It is hard to see the Berlinale and so many hundreds of filmmakers and people who work on this festival distilled into something we do not always recognise in the online and media discourse… It is a large, complex festival.”
“Artists are free to exercise their right of free speech in whatever way they choose… nor should they be expected to speak on every political issue raised to them unless they want to,” Tuttle said.
