Billy Joel CBS TV Special To Get Rebroadcast After Network Goof
Fans watching the CBS broadcast of Billy Joel: The 100th Live at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night (April 14, 2024), were dismayed when the network abruptly ended the special, as the star was performing his signature song, “Piano Man”—two hours in. The program, filmed at the legend’s landmark performance at the Garden on March 28, had been delayed for 31 minutes when the network’s coverage of the final round of the Masters golf tournament ran over.
To make matters worse, as home audiences tried to tune-in as they had repeatedly been instructed—via relentless promotional announcements—to do at 9 p.m. ET, CBS failed to run a “crawl” to inform them that the concert special was delayed. At approximately 11:29 ET, TV viewers suddenly saw their local CBS affiliate’s evening news program, with no mention of what had just happened.
Joel’s performance of “Piano Man” was scheduled to be the special’s final performance, followed by the standard crawl of credits for all the people working behind-the-scenes to create the program. Immediately, the words #PianoMan and #BillyJoel began to show up on social media. That continued on Monday with the TV audience expressing their dismay for what had transpired.
Finally, on Monday afternoon, CBS announced that it would re-broadcast the concert special in its entirety on Friday night, April 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The news was accompanied by a brief statement, “A network programming timing error ended last night’s Billy Joel special approximately two minutes early in the Eastern and Central Time Zones. We apologize to Mr. Joel, his fans, our affiliated stations, and our audience whose viewing experience was interrupted during the last song. Due to the overwhelming demand from his legion of fans, BILLY JOEL: THE 100TH – LIVE AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN will be rebroadcast in its entirety on CBS on April 19th at 9:00PM ET/PT.”
Within an hour of Joel sharing the network announcement on his Facebook page, there were more than 1800 comments. “I was so mad when they cut it off in the middle of ‘Piano Man’. So glad they are doing the right thing. Thank you CBS,” wrote one fan. Another noted, “Fantastic news as I was only able to see the last half hour and was jolted when the news came on! What I did see was epic! Now to see the entirety! Yay!”
“I can see why people would have been ticked. I watched the whole concert waiting for ‘Piano Man’ to come on….my all time fav’ song, and judging from the huge crowd in attendance, it was theirs, too.”
Until the snafu, TV viewers were treated to yet another stellar performance from the star, including such tracks as “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,” “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” “Only the Good Die Young” and Joel’s first new single in years, “Turn the Lights Back On.” The concert featured guest appearances by Sting (“Big Man on Mulberry Street”) and Jerry Seinfeld.
CBS’ original promotional spot for the TV special had referred to the broadcast as “a once-in-a-lifetime concert event.” Oops… make that twice…
Joel, who turns 75 on May 9, concludes his record-setting monthly residency at the Garden on July 25. He also has concerts scheduled elsewhere in 2024.
Journey’s ‘Greatest Hits’ Scores Rare 800th Week on Billboard 200
Journey's Greatest Hits album has reached a rare plateau by notching its 800th week on the Billboard 200.
Only two other acts, Pink Floyd and then Bob Marley, have ever achieved this feat. Dark Side of the Moon got there in 2012, while Marley's Legend hit 800 weeks just last September.
Journey's Greatest Hits made its Billboard 200 debut back on Dec. 3, 1988, boasting a pair of Top 5 hits, four Top 10 hits, and three Top 20 hits — along with lower-charting must-have favorites like "Lights," "Any Way You Want It," "Send Her My Love" and "Wheel in the Sky." The LP peaked at No. 10 on Feb. 11, 1989; certification for 10 million in sales followed in 1999.
Fans weren't the only ones who found themselves putting these old favorites in perspective. "I forgot how good they were! The stereo separation, the echoes, the snare drum sounds," Steve Perry told the Tampa Bay Times after putting together a sequel, 2011's Greatest Hits 2. He added that Neal Schon's "guitar is stupidly amazing, and completely still to this day underrated in my opinion."
A 2006 reissue added "When You Love a Woman," Journey's 1996 No. 12 reunion smash — just before Greatest Hits returned to the charts again. The LP was certified 15-times platinum in 2008 and 18-times platinum back in January. By then, the formula for the Billboard 200 had changed – several times.
How the Billboard 200 Has Changed
Beginning in May 1991, catalog titles like the Journey compilation were largely deemed ineligible for the main album chart. That restriction was lifted in 2009. The Billboard 200 chart has since shifted to ranking the most popular LPs based on their so-called "overall consumption." This combines pure album sales and equivalent spins from streaming services.
Bob Marley's compilation has now logged 830 weeks on the chart. Though released in 1984, Legend didn't actually enter the Top 10 until 2014, when the LP soared to No. 5 after being priced at just 99 cents in the Google Play store.
Dark Side of the Moon remains the all-time leader with 989 weeks. Metallica's self-titled 1991 album is at No. 4 with 747 weeks. The Top 5 is rounded out by Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits by Creedence Clearwater Revival, which reaches 689 this week.
The Dickey Betts Song Bob Dylan Wished He Had Written
When former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts died in April 2024, he left a legacy of technical virtuosity and generation-defining songwriting that inspired plenty of his peers — including Bob Dylan.
Betts reflected on his relationship with Dylan in an interview with Ray Padgett for his book Pledging My Time: Conversations With Bob Dylan Band Members, which he reshared in his Flagging Down the Double E's newsletter. The two first crossed paths in the '70s, when Betts spent a couple of days on the road with Dylan and Robbie Robertson. Both musicians hung out and jammed several other times over the years, including a memorable performance of "Ramblin' Man" during Dylan's 1995 concert in Tampa, Florida, near where Betts grew up.
When Betts asked how familiar Dylan was with the song, he was pleasantly surprised at the singer's response.
"Another time, Bob wanted do 'Ramblin' Man,'" Betts recalled. "I said, 'You don't know the words to that, do you?' He said, 'I know all the words to "Ramblin' Man." I shoulda wrote that song myself.' I said, 'OK, let's check. If you don't know, just make shit up, and you'll do well.' So we sang 'Ramblin' Man.' He sang every word exactly the way I wrote it."
He continued: "I mean, he knew it! And he sang it better than it's ever been sung before. [Betts busts into a Dylan impression:] 'I'm on my way down to New Or-leans this morning.' He was talking and singing at the same time. It was great."
Bob Dylan later expressed his fondness for Betts in his 2020 song "Murder Most Foul." The 17-minute epic includes the lyrics "Play Oscar Peterson, play Stan Getz / Play 'Blue Sky,' play Dickey Betts."
"Oh, that was such an honor," Betts told Padgett. "All my friends were coming to me saying, 'Man, did you hear Bob Dylan's mentioned you in a song?' I said, 'No shit.'
"I heard the song. I was so embarrassed, I would say, 'Well, he just used me because it rhymes with Getz.' [laughs] People would tell me, 'Oh, bullshit,' but anyway, I was very embarrassed because it was such a flattering thing for Bob Dylan to mention you in a song."
