Billy Joel Will Be the Final Nassau Coliseum Performer

It’s official: the Piano Man will be performing Nassau Coliseum’s swan song this summer.

Long Island’s own Billy Joel will perform the final concert at the Coliseum on Aug. 4 before it closes to make way for a smaller version of itself.

Tickets will be on sale on Ticketmaster beginning May 1 at 10 a.m. Pre-sale tickets will be available from 10 a.m. April 27 to 10 p.m. April 30. Tickets are $49.50, $99.50, and $119.50.

The hometown rock star was a logical choice for the current Coliseum’s finale. He helped close another beloved venue when he took the stage with Sir Paul McCartney in 2008 for the last concert at Shea Stadium. Joel also did a practice run of sorts for his Madison Square Garden residency when he played nine consecutive sold out shows at the Coliseum in 1998.

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“Who else but Billy Joel could play the final show at Nassau Coliseum?” said Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark in a statement. “Billy is the definitive voice of Long Island and has made a lasting impact on his community in so many ways.”

Joel hasn’t set foot on the Coliseum stage since 2013. This concert will be his 32nd performance at the venue.

“Billy Joel represents the years of joy the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum has brought to residents and serves as an exciting reminder of the decades of entertainment our residents will enjoy in the soon to be renovated coliseum,” said Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano.

Watch Joel in his 1982 Coliseum appearance here:

The concert announcement comes as the famed venue begins tying up loose ends in preparation for its closure. Around 40 full-time and 2,500 part-time employees reportedly received their termination letters, effective this summer, according to Newsday.

Officials said they could not reveal specifics about the status of employees’ jobs, according to the report. However, Long Island Federation of Labor executive director Roger Clayman said, “We are very concerned about the status of these 2,000 jobs…We will do everything in our power to make sure they get their jobs back when the arena reopens under new management.”

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

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