From the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in Stony Brook, N.Y.: Media, music industry and local officials attended a reception on Nov. 21 at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame to launch a new exhibit titled “My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey,” which celebrates the life and career of Billy Joel.
The event is as much about the singular music career of Joel, a life-long Long Islander, as it is about how his growing up on Long Island and continued association with the locale have shaped his musical career.
After the cocktail reception, Joel was given a private tour of the exhibit and then did several rounds of television interviews in the upstairs permanent exhibit space. He then returned downstairs. The 74-year-old, who was born in Hicksville, New York, on Long Island, was asked a few brief questions, answered them with his usual candor and humor and was mobbed by photographers and fans.
He made it very clear that although he may be selling his local home in Oyster Bay, he will remain a Long Islander and he obviously still feels a strong connection to his birthplace.
The exhibit itself is in keeping with the tone of Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame exhibits, both permanent and temporary. The hall is a very intimate space, housed in an inviting colonial-style building in Stony Brook, an area of New York that shares much of the feel and rural charm of a quaint New England town. Although intimate, the space is as all-encompassing as any exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
The first thing one sees when entering the exhibit is a television playing the Beatles’ first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, which represents the key moment that launched Billy Joel into wanting to be in the music world. The contextual connection comes alive when viewing one of the many videos of Joel performing with Paul McCartney at one of the 2008 “Last Play at Shea” shows.
The videos are shown on a large screen placed near a piano Joel used on his 1994 “Face to Face” tour with Elton John, his first co-headlining tour with him. There are plenty of gold records, album covers, photos, awards and memorabilia to thrill even the most ardent Joel fan.
One area features the instruments used by Joel’s first band, the Hassles, yet another key reminder of his early musical roots. There are also posters, paying tribute in words and pictures to the members of Joel’s band during his breakout years. The exhibit is filled with nods to those Joel has played with and the many musical artists who were an inspiration or influence.
There is much more to see here and a continuous loop of Billy Joel’s music plays throughout. Listening for the several hours of the event, it was extraordinary to recall just how many hit songs he had and from so many major albums. It’s important to note that none of the music sounds dated. His music, while of a time, is timeless.
The exhibit opened on Nov. 24. Tickets are $35, or $49 for a VIP pass.
