bottle of red, bottle of white
Ezra Koenig and company pay tribute to Piano Man’s residency at the arena with elaborate rendition of The Stranger classic
Billy Joel’s Madison Square Garden residency might be over, but Vampire Weekend ensured that the Piano Man’s music would remain in the arena with an elaborate rendition of “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” at their own MSG show Saturday.
Ezra Koenig and company’s faithful rendition of Joel’s multi-suite The Stranger classic included a couple onstage sitting at a table, drinking wine and enjoying an Italian dinner:
Vampire Weekend’s encores during their current tour has featured the band performing snippets of crowd request covers, which on Saturday included quick takes on Steely Dan (“Dirty Work”), the Clash (“London Calling”), Dolly Parton (“Jolene”), Bruce Springsteen (“I’m Goin’ Down”), Journey (“Don’t Stop Believin’”), and more Joel, as Vampire Weekend also played a bit of “My Life”:
The Only God Was Above Us band returns to the Madison Square Garden stage on Sunday night. Joel’s longtime Garden residency came to an end earlier this summer with one last show that featured guest vocalist Axl Rose. While Joel has no more Garden gigs planned, he has announced a slate of 2025 stadium gigs co-headlining with either Sting and Stevie Nicks.