Billy Joel: Piano man connects with heart and soul

After 10 years on the road with Elton John, on a lucrative "two-fer" superstar tour that emphasized the hits, Billy Joel is back to being a pure "Piano Man," playing and singing what he wants, how he wants. At 58, he's an artist comfortable in his own skin, performing songs that mean something to him, backed by a versatile, top-notch, seven-piece band.

At his sold-out concert Thursday night at the Key, he featured blue-collar, working-class anthems like "The Downeaster 'Alexa,'" about Nantucket Island fishermen, and "Allentown," a stark portrait of unemployed American steelworkers; lively excursions into exotic rhythms, like the horn-driven "Zanzibar" and the intense instrumental, "Root Beer Rag"; and rich, atmospheric ballads like "New York State of Mind" and "Always A Woman." He rocked with "The River of Dreams," "You May Be Right," "Keeping the Faith" and "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me."

He showed that his voice is better than ever by hitting the dramatic high notes in "Innocent Man," as well as the many moods of the epic "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant," one of the encore songs.

His piano playing was powerful and precise, and more impressive than ever, especially in a bravura performance of "The Entertainer," as well as the stomping "Big Shot" and the romping "Only the Good Die Young." And, of course, he had to close with his signature "Piano Man," although the most moving moment came when the audience sang a verse a cappella, which seemed to sum up what he means to them, and vice versa.

Joel played a big grand piano that was on a turntable, except when it disappeared below the stage when he sang standing at the mic, sometimes playing guitar. For "Piano Man," he strapped on a neck brace to also play harmonica.

As Joel has done in almost every show he's ever played here, going back to the old Fresh Aire tavern on Broadway in 1972 (he remarked about playing "on old Broadway" here a long time ago), he played a tribute to hometown hero Jimi Hendrix. He and the band didn't fool around with "Purple Haze," giving it an all-out, full-blown, guitar-driven treatment. They also had fun with another classic cover, AC/DC's "Highway to Hell," with a raw lead vocal by a hefty roadie identified only as "Chainsaw."

A keyboard-cam showed Joel's fast fingering close-up throughout the show, on several giant video screens that captured not only the stage action but also the happy, dancing crowd.

Patrick MacDonald: 206-464-2312 or pmacdonald@seattletimes.com