Billy Joel has been off the highway since final February whereas recovering from the mind dysfunction regular strain hydrocephalus, however the 76-year-old ailing music legend shocked followers on Jan. 2 in Wellington, Fla., when, with the assistance of a cane, he walked onstage to affix the longtime Joel tribute band Turnstiles and carry out his songs “We Didn’t Begin the Hearth” and “Massive Shot” on the city’s thirtieth anniversary live performance.
Footage of the collaboration shortly went viral, and Turnstiles frontman Tony Monaco admits to SPIN he’s been on the cellphone speaking about it for the higher a part of the previous 72 hours. The 70-year-old musician and retired auto collision skilled was born in Pittsburgh and lived in quite a few Lengthy Island locales earlier than shifting to Florida within the early Nineteen Nineties to concentrate on Turnstiles, which already skilled an sudden increase when Vampire Weekend invited the band to open for them out of the blue at New York’s Madison Sq. Backyard in October 2024.
Beneath, Monaco fills SPIN in on how Joel got here to affix Turnstiles final week, the enduring energy of the Piano Man’s catalog and what’s subsequent for the all of the sudden buzzing band.
SPIN: I assume it has been an thrilling couple of days, huh?
Tony Monaco: I’ve bought to be sincere with you. It’s greater than I may have ever imagined it could possibly be. I had no thought Billy was gonna be there. After all of it had began taking place and I used to be speaking with him and we have been speaking about him arising on stage and every part, I nonetheless by no means as soon as bought previous, my God, we’re gonna play with Billy! That was all I may consider. We used to fantasize about him lastly displaying up at a present. When he did, it was all about proper now and this minute. The band went to eat after we bought completed, and we have been sitting there in la la land. Then it struck me that it was the primary time Billy had been in public since he introduced his situation, and certain sufficient, by Saturday afternoon, I’d gotten 67 cellphone calls. We’re truly just a little overwhelmed! I’m nonetheless in disbelief that it occurred.
Had you ever met Billy earlier than outdoors of the context of Turnstiles, or one among his reveals?
Sure. We had a hello, how are you doing? within the ’80s at a membership known as Sparks in Lengthy Island, the place they filmed the video for his track ‘Say Goodbye to Hollywood’ in black and white. I used to be pleasant with Billy’s sound engineer Brian Ruggles, who owned the venue. I bumped into him once more there a pair different occasions, and he was very gracious. Quick ahead to 2018 and I was up in New York for my godson’s marriage ceremony. We glided by Billy’s motorbike store in Oyster Bay on a Friday and the signal stated it was closed till the subsequent morning, however the lights have been on, and once I regarded in, I noticed Billy and waved. He got here and opened the door and let my ex-wife and I inside, and we spoke for 90 minutes. I requested him if he knew the band, and he did. He thanked me for serving to preserve his music alive. I checked out him and stated, I can die now (laughs). I’m good! It was by no means going to be higher than that, and now this occurs.
As for this explicit efficiency on Friday, inform us the way it all got here collectively.
We’ve been a daily on the amphitheater and have been most likely one of many first bands to play there. I knew for years that Billy had some tie to Wellington however wasn’t down right here full time. We thought a pair occasions that he may come by, however this was the thirtieth anniversary with three bands, and we have been the headliner. An hour earlier than we have been imagined to go on, they informed me anyone was on the door that wished to see me. A blonde lady and two little women are available in, who I acknowledged as Billy’s daughters from being on stage with him on the Backyard, after which I noticed Billy. He and his spouse Alexis informed me they noticed that we have been taking part in and so they thought, perhaps we’ll go? She stated, Billy has good days and dangerous days, so we sometimes don’t make exhausting plans prematurely, however he was up for it. He goes, I wished to satisfy you guys, which was surreal to listen to. I requested him, how do I take care of this, Billy? Can I point out that you simply’re right here? His spouse stated, I feel he may wish to play, and I stated, Billy, if you wish to play, we’ll make it occur. He goes, nicely, yeah, perhaps. Do you’ve your set checklist? I handed it to him and he goes, this appears to be like like my set checklist (laughs). I stated, it is your set checklist, since you tempo it out completely. Why would I attempt to reinvent it?
He goes, why don’t we do ‘New York State of Thoughts?’ I requested if he wished to each play piano and sing, or if he wished me concerned, and he stated, I haven’t sang in months and I don’t play piano a lot recently. So, he went out into the gang and we began the present, and I informed the viewers that we might have a particular visitor in some unspecified time in the future. He didn’t come up after we began taking part in ‘New York State of Thoughts,’ so I figured, perhaps he left. However then after we did ‘Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,’ I noticed him strolling as much as the stage. I used to be excited, however now I didn’t know what we’d play, since we’d already completed ‘New York State of Thoughts.’ Persons are going ape shit and chanting his identify — there have been about 6,000 folks there! We bought him seated on the piano and he stated, let’s do ‘We Didn’t Begin the Hearth.’ Okay, no downside. He says, so long as I don’t screw up the lyrics, to which I replied, don’t you understand the man that wrote this track? He sang the entire first verse as folks have been screaming and yelling. I helped out on the subsequent verse and after we completed, I requested, do you wish to do one other one? He goes, yeah, let’s do ‘Massive Shot,’ though he gave the drummer the evil eye as a result of he thought it was being performed too quick (laughs). By then, he was extra relaxed and had confidence in us. I couldn’t have requested for extra. It was enjoyable. It was exhilarating. It was one thing I’ll always remember so long as I dwell.
To again up, would it not be truthful to say that opening for Vampire Weekend at MSG after which taking part in with them once more afterwards introduced Turnstiles to a larger stage of visibility?
No query. The Backyard helped propel issues, and we’re the one tribute band that has ever performed there. It helped open us to a distinct clientele who may be keen to spend a bit extra money. Vampire Weekend’s supervisor noticed what simply occurred and texted me over the weekend with congratulations and Blissful New Yr needs, so I hope we will probably be performing some extra reveals with them in some unspecified time in the future. They took a liking to us.
This may have been a big occasion for Turnstiles even when Billy hadn’t been off the stage for therefore lengthy, however I’m curious why you assume folks nonetheless join along with his music so strongly in any case these years?
Particularly for folks from the Northeast, Billy’s music is a type of dwelling. They grew up with it. They bought married to it. For them, it was like Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. have been for his or her mother and father’ era. No two of Billy’s information sound the identical. ‘Scandinavian Skies’ to ‘It’s Nonetheless Rock’n’Roll to Me’ … is that the identical artist? Billy wasn’t a wild man who painted his face. He’s a daily man who sings about common guy-and-girl stuff and he’s a wordsmith who’s second to none. Billy has all the time been my favourite, and that’s why I do his tribute. We discuss our viewers being from seven to 70, as a result of after we play festivals and there are little youngsters there, they know all of the phrases from listening to their mother and father play the music always. There are only a few artists with that sort of attraction, who may play 150 reveals on the Backyard and promote each one among them out. He simply has extraordinary expertise.
Working with him was a pleasure. I used to be singing on the opposite mic and I’m listening to Billy in my in-ear screens, and as a musician, it’s like, oh my god, he’s proper right here! This isn’t the file. He’s not 100%, however his voice was sturdy, and I do assume he’s going to return again. He might not do it on such a grand scale or rise up from the piano an excessive amount of, however I do know he desires to play once more and hasn’t shut the door on doing so. I’m not so certain that this wasn’t just a little testing of these waters.
As for Turnstiles, what’s on the horizon for 2026?
Now we have two new members who’ve taken us to a different stage musically and offered much more polish, and we’re getting a whole lot of present provides, together with a possible Fourth of July efficiency overseas. We play primarily in Florida, however particularly in the summertime, look ahead to us up and down the East Coast. I feel we’re arising on a really particular yr.
