In May of last year, Billy Joel canceled all of his shows due to normal pressure hydrocephalus, which is when cerebrospinal fluid builds up in your skull and presses on your brain. He later clarified that he was not dying, but he said his “balance sucks.” Last night, the Piano Man performed for the first time since that diagnosis.
On the second day of 2026 there was a 30th anniversary bash for the village of Wellington in Florida, “the Winter Equestrian Capital of the World,” where Joel owns a horse ranch. As a surprise, he joined the tribute band Turnstiles (yes, Turnstiles, who opened shows for Vampire Weekend on their recent tour) for two songs, “We Didn’t Start The Fire” and “Big Shot,” at Wellington Ampitheater. His daughters joined him onstage to sing along.
“I wasn’t planning on working tonight,” he said onstage. Joel will be honored at this year’s The Music Of concert at NYC’s Carnegie Hall. Watch footage from yesterday below.
