Billy Joel, 75, Has Final Show At Madison Square Garden – ‘It’s Been A Dream Come True’

The legendary singer Billy Joel finished the final show of his historic Madison Square Garden residency on Thursday night.

Billy Joel Ends Madison Square Garden Residency

Joel ended his residency with a sold-out performance that marked his 150th lifetime show at the iconic New York City venue. 150!

To mark the occasion, a permanent banner was lifted in Joel’s honor.

“No one has done this,” said Jimmy Fallon as he presented Joel with the marker. “We are here tonight witnessing this. We are part of history. Congratulations. I love you, New York City loves you — we all love you.”

Joel told the crowd that he was incredibly grateful for their support. And he was sure to thank one special person.

“It’s been a dream come true,” Joel said. “I first came to Madison Square Garden when I was a 4-year-old to see the Circus and watch Gene Autry sing ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.’ And now, here I am doing this. Thanks, mom!”

“We don’t want to go either, but it’s time,” he continued. “It’s 10 years. None of us knew we were going to be able to do this for this long. This has been the most amazing gig that we’ve ever done ever.”

Given the fact that Joel has been performing for over fifty years, that’s saying a lot!

‘We Were The First Group…’

Billy Joel has a history with iconic venues, not just the Garden.

“We were the first group to play in Yankee Stadium,” Joel gushed. He added that they “were the last band to play at Shea Stadium. We played in Berlin the night that the Berlin Wall came down. We were the first American full-fledge performance in the Soviet Union. And we were the first band after Castro came to power to play Cuba.”

“We played in front of the Colosseum in Rome for a half a million people (and the food was great). But out of all of them, this is the best,” he stated. “There’s no place like it. The band likes it, the crew likes it… we’ll come back!”

One of the best moments of the night came when Joel’s daughters Della Rose, 8, and Remy Anne, 6, joined their father onstage as he received his banner. They then remained onstage as their father performed his 1978 upbeat hit “My Life.” Della Rose soon began to sing and dance, even grabbing the mic from Joel at one point.

“Thank you Madison Square Garden,” Della Rose shouted afterwards.

“I guess it’s her life now,” Joel joked with a laugh. “Thanks girls!”

Check out that moment in the video below.

Joel Stunned Residency Lasted This Long

Joel had announced eight months ago that his Madison Square Garden residency would be ending.

“I’m kind of flabbergasted that it lasted as long as it did,” he admitted at the time. “My team tells me that we could continue to sell tickets, but 10 years, 150 shows – all right already!”

Joel went on to describe his first show at the venue, which took place in December of 1978, as being “the pinnacle of my career.”

“To our audience, I want to thank them for coming to our shows for this long,” he added. “It’s hard to end, even at 150 lifetime shows. I just want to thank everyone for the wonderful thing that’s happened here.”

“It’s hard to believe that we’ve been able to do this for 10 years. I didn’t know how long it was going to last,” Joel concluded. “I never imagined anyone could have a residency here. It’s just been one crazy exhilarating night after another… To me, my band, MSG is more than just our office. It’s home. If you Google Billy Joel’s house, they show Madison Square Garden, which is kind of cool.”

Joel is a true legend, and there will never be another one like him. His Madison Square Garden residency was truly iconic. Now that it’s over, we can’t wait to see what he has in store for us in the years to come!