Overview
- Joel watched from the balcony, received a standing ovation, and was seated beside Pink and her daughter Willow Sage Hart.
- Roughly 20 artists reinterpreted his catalog with his longtime touring band as the house band, with guitarist-singer Mike DelGuidice absent due to a prior engagement.
- Performers included Rob Thomas, Pat Monahan, Rufus Wainwright, Natalie Merchant, Itzhak Perlman, Wyclef Jean, Gavin DeGraw, and Alexa Ray Joel, who sang This Night for her father.
- Event organizers said proceeds support music education for underserved youth, and local reporting indicated the night netted about $225,000.
- Joel did not take the stage as he continues to pause live performances following last year’s normal pressure hydrocephalus diagnosis, returning to the venue that marked a career turning point in 1977.