Billy Joel

Flashback to Billy Joel’s July 28, 1987 performance in the Soviet Union, when a film crew turned their lights on the audience: It prompted The Piano Man to stop singing, smash his microphone, overturn the piano, and shriek, “It's my show!” He then admonished audience members he felt weren’t responsive enough, sulking that they were like “an oil painting in this corner of the room.” Joel later admitted his prima donna moment was triggered by being on the road for several months and dealing with some serious hardships (he had a sore throat). For us regular folk, this type of behavior shows that just because you win several Grammys, get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and shag a supermodel doesn’t necessarily mean you have your shit together. Joel recently embarked on a North American tour, and it’s been a while since he was in the news for doing something stupid. But seeing as his track record isn’t exactly stellar, the odds that he won’t pull some kind of crazy stunt onstage tonight are against him. Keep your fingers crossed.
Thu., Nov. 8, 8 p.m., 2007