Billy Joel wasn’t kidding when he ended his show at The Paramount two weeks ago with, “Maybe we’ll see you again soon.” Joel will play the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on New Year’s Eve, marking his first solo concert in New York City since he performed the final show at Shea Stadium in 2008.
“When we opened this building 13 months ago, there were several artists that needed to perform at the Barclays Center in order for us to become a world-class entertainment venue,” said Barclays Center chief executive Brett Yormark at a news conference Thursday outside the Brooklyn arena. “We want to bring the best to the Barclays Center and you can’t get much better than Billy Joel.” Ben Folds Five is set to open the show, which has a special New Year’s Eve start time of 9:30 p.m. Joel will ring in 2014 from the stage.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz declared that New Year’s Eve would be “Billy Joel Brooklyn State of Mind Day” in honor of Joel’s first concert in the borough. “How sweet it is,” Markowitz said. “Say goodbye to Hollywood. Say goodbye to Manhattan. Say hello to Brooklyn. . . . Billy Joel, you finally made it to the big time.”
Billy Joel AMEX presale for American Express cardholders runs Monday, Nov. 4th, through Thursday Oct. 3. Billy Joel American Express Presale will require checkout with an AMEX Card. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Nov. 9th at 10 AM. Additional Billy Joel presales may become available throughout the week, so check back at Ticket On Sale List for more information.