Billy Joel, 75, surprises commuters as he hops on a train to Cardiff for his first ever gig in the Welsh capital
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Billy Joel showed his down-to-earth side as he hopped on a train to Cardiff for his first-ever gig in the Welsh capital.
The American singer-songwriter, 75, cut a casual figure as he got a sweet snap with a Great Western Railway worker on the London Paddington to Cardiff service on Friday.
Sharing the snap on X, formerly known as Twitter, Great Western Railway beamed: 'It was a pleasure to take the 'Piano Man' Billy Joel Uptown to Cardiff today for his only gig in Europe. Get ready to be rocked Wales!'
Great Western Railway said its 'not every day' fans get to travel on board with the star of the show.
A Great Western Railway spokesperson told the BBC: 'When we arrived at Cardiff the fans got off the train only to see the star of the show behind them.'
Billy Joel showed his down-to-earth side as he hopped on a train to Cardiff for his first-ever gig in the Welsh capital on Friday
The American singer-songwriter, 75, cut a casual figure in an all-black ensemble as he got a sweet snap with a Great Western Railway worker on the London Paddington to Cardiff service
Sharing the snap on X, formerly known as Twitter, Great Western Railway captioned the post with: 'It was a pleasure to take the 'Piano Man' Billy Joel Uptown to Cardiff today'
The sold-out Principality Stadium concert is the artist's only performance in Europe this year.
More than 70,000 fans headed to the stadium on Friday evening, prompting a full city centre road closure.
And fans were not disappointed as the Piano Man invited his first audience in the Land of Song to join in.
At the beginning of his performance he said to the crowd: 'After 55 years, I'm finally playing in Wales. I've never played here before.
'I was told that the Welsh love to sing, so if you feel like singing along, I don't care if it annoys the guy next to you. Sing away, and we're going to have fun.'
Billy, who is one of the best-selling artists in US chart history, is best known for his songs including Piano Man, Uptown Girl and We Didn’t Start the Fire.
His gig at the Principality Stadium follows a string of recent performances at the venue from other celebrities including Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, Pink, and the Foo Fighters.
And like some of the stars to visit the capital before him, Billy added a little Welsh flavour to his performance, as he treated the crowd to the chorus of Green Green Grass of Home by Tom Jones.
The sold-out Principality Stadium concert is the artist's only performance in Europe this year
More than 70,000 fans headed to the stadium on Friday evening, prompting a full city centre road closure
And fans were not disappointed as the Piano Man invited his first audience in the Land of Song to join in
He joked to the audience: 'I didn't write that one, but I wish I did.'
The crowd also got highly involved in a call-and-response version of What's New Pussycat? during his Tom Jones tribute a little later in the evening.
Billy confessed: 'I don't know the words' before laughing and saying 'I know the pussycat bit.'
The crowd then participated in a fun singalong to The Lion Sleeps Tonight, before Billy performed his hit track The Longest Time.
The singer also welcomed his daughters Della Rose, eight, and Remy Anne, six, onto the stage.
His daughter Della sweetly shouted out to the crowd 'Come on Cardiff' as Remy sat on her dad's piano.
The show not only marked the last of Joel's 10-year-long residency at the World's Most Famous Arena but also the 150th-lifetime performance, which is a record for any artist at the iconic venue.
It turned out to be a family affair for the singer as his daughters were brought out on stage by family friend Jimmy Fallon to help unveil a banner honouring him for his history-making show.
Billy had the honour of sitting behind the piano as his daughter Della belted out vocals and danced, all the while her dad flashed a proud smile on his face.
His other daughter, Remy, got an up-close look at the performance while sitting on the end of her father's piano, who just happened to be dressed identically as her older sister in a colourful burgundy minidress.
At the beginning of his performance he said to the crowd: 'I was told that the Welsh love to sing, so if you feel like singing along, I don't care if it annoys the guy next to you. Sing away, and we're going to have fun'
In July, Billy ended his 10-year residency at Madison Square Gardens in New York City and the show not only marked his long residency but also the 150th-lifetime performance, which is a record for any artist at the iconic venue
It turned out to be a family affair for the singer as his daughters were brought out on stage by family friend Jimmy Fallon to help unveil a banner honouring him for his history-making show
Billy shares his daughters Della Rose, eight, and Remy Anne, six, with his fourth wife Alexis Roderick, 42, whom he married in 2015
Billy shares his daughters with his fourth wife Alexis Roderick, 42, whom he married in 2015.
He also has another daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, 36, who he shares with ex-wife Christie Brinkley, 70.
The evening consisted of Joel belting out hit after hit that included the likes of Pressure, Allentown, Only The Good Die Young, Piano Man, Scenes From An Italian Restaurant, It's Still Rock And Roll To Me, and Big Shot, among many others.
He also brought out Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose for a cover of Paul McCartney And Wings' classic Live And Let Die, as well as You May Be Right.
The history-making residency began back in January 2014, with Billy playing one show a month at MSG.
Over the years he has welcomed stars such as Sting, John Mellencamp, Elvis Costello, Tony Bennett, Paul Simon and John Fogerty, as well as recent hitmakers such as John Mayer, Miley Cyrus, Gavin DeGraw and Olivia Rodrigo.
