They were all in the mood for a melody and Billy Joel had them feeling alright.
The “Piano Man” returned to his familiar seat for a surprise on-stage appearance in what was his first public performance since revealing a brain disorder diagnosis in 2025.
He collaborated with the Billy Joel tribute band “Turnstiles” for a two-song set on Jan 2. at an amphitheater in Wellington, Florida not far from his home as the village celebrated its 30th birthday.
“I wasn’t planning on working tonight,” Joel joked, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Joel, of course, hasn’t worked on stage since his disorder was announced May 23 on his social media accounts, with the six-time Grammy winner canceling his 17 concerts that were scheduled between July 2025 and July 2026.
But he made his way back to the piano Friday, walking with the help of a cane, as the crowd chanted his name.
“What are we doing?” Joel asked the band in video footage posted on YouTube and social media.
“A Billy Joel song, how about?” one of the band members replied.
“I can give it a try,” Joel said. “I know the guy who wrote it.”
Joel then sang his hits “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “Big Shot” as his daughters Della and Remy danced by the piano.
A crowd that shuffled in to see a cover band instead saw the real thing.
As Joel exited the stage to chants of “Bill-y! Bill-y! Bill-y!”, a member of Turnstiles, which is named after Joel’s 1976 album, said he was just as surprised as the audience by the unannounced special guest.
“I have to be dreaming this,” said Tony Monaco, lead vocalist and piano player. “Pinch me. Pinch me please.”
Joel was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, which according to a statement released when his condition was announced, led to problems with his hearing, vision and balance.
Joel, the statement added at the time, was undergoing physical therapy to treat the disorder — where fluid buildup in or around the brain disrupts brain function, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
“They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder,” Joel said in July during his first public comments since the diagnosis while appearing on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast. “So, it sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling.”
But other than the interview with Maher, and a viral video in July of Joel pulling up alongside a Manhattan pedicab as it was playing one of his songs, he has remained out of the public eye since the diagnosis.
Joel’s last live performance had been in February 2025 for his concert in Connecticut.
“Under his doctor’s instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period,” his official statement at the time of the diagnosis read. “Billy is thankful for the excellent care he is receiving and is fully committed to prioritizing his health. He is grateful for the support from fans during this time and looks forward to the day when he can once again take the stage.”
He did just that on Friday.
“This is one hell of a way to kick off 2026, I gotta tell you!” Monaco said as Joel exited. “Billy, God bless you, man. I want to see you on stage soon.”
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