Billy Joel is pretty much a household name, especially in the United States. The 63-year-old musician has had Tops 40s hit in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. In all he has managed to attain 33 Top 40 hits in the United States, all of which he wrote himself. However, he is now seriously contemplating retirement for good after his concerts in Australia and the US later this year if he isn’t able to be inspired by them.
Currently, Billy only focuses on classical performances after he decided to retire from composing pop music many years ago. Since his decision, he has continued to play live at various venues as a solo artist and sometimes, along with Elton John, another famous musical sensation. At the moment, he just isn’t feeling it and he even admitted that his time on the stage might be finally coming to a close. Regardless, he has still yet to make a concrete decision. He mentioned that he will use festival shows in both Sydney as well as New Orleans to gauge if he’s still got what it takes to continue on as a performer. “I want to see if it’s time for me to get off the stage. There’s a time when an athlete says I can’t swing the bat anymore. So I get to feel it out… I don’t want to be that guy; I don’t want to be Spinal Tap,” Billy said to ABC News Radio.
Earlier this year, Billy also mentioned to Rolling Stone magazine that he didn’t feel like the entertainer he once was. He felt that it could be due to his hip replacement surgery. “Slowly but surely I’m kinda getting back to normal. I’d say I’m 85 per cent. I can walk OK. I can’t run like I used to. Honestly, I’m not as good as I used to be. I’m not as athletic as I used to be. I don’t jump off the piano anymore… and my voice has changed. It’s lowered,” he explained. He will be performing at the Stone Music Festival on April 21, followed by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival a week later. Apart from these two shows, he has no other dates scheduled yet. For more on the story, do check it out over here.
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