CBS to Re-Air Billy Joel Concert Special After Broadcast Is Cut Short

Billy Joel performs at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on May 19, 2023. Jason Kempin/Getty Images

CBS apologizes to Billy Joel fans after abruptly ending the broadcast of his concert during a performance of his signature hit “Piano Man” at Madison Square Garden.

April 14 marked the musician’s first live concert to air on a broadcast network, but to the viewers’ disappointment, it was cut short for local news programming.

In a statement posted by Mr. Joel on X, formerly Twitter, the network blamed the mishap on a programming timing error in the Eastern and Central time zones.

“We apologize to Mr. Joel, his fans, our affiliated stations, and our audience whose viewing experience was interrupted during the last song,” said CBS.

The residency special titled “Billy Joel: The 100th—Live at Madison Square Garden” had already seen some hiccups after starting a half-hour late due to coverage of this year’s Masters Tournament running overtime.

The delay pushed the start of Mr. Joel’s concert back, leading CBS to cut away to local news as the broadcast spilled over into the 11 p.m. Eastern time slot.

Fans took to social media to express their outrage over the incident, claiming CBS failed on a number of fronts regarding the special. Aside from cutting away during the final performance, there were complaints of excessive commercials and an out-of-order set list with few fan-favorite songs.

Those in the news industry also found themselves in a position to respond to fans. Evan Closky, the sports director of 10 Tampa Bay, from one of the affected TV stations, apologized to viewers.

“We Turned the Lights Back On too soon. As a man who grew up right next to Billy Joel’s hometown, who went to The Last Play at Shea, it was my duty to apologize to everyone about cutting off our telecast of Billy Joel tonight.”

He added, “Not to get into the weeds, but there was a special report after the Masters and it wasn’t accounted for by the powers that be beyond this building.”

Rex Smith, a news anchor at Indiana’s WANE 15, joked that he would pick the “Piano Man” over himself.

“I apologize to the people who were enjoying Billy Joel singing on TV then all of a sudden had to see my face…I’m not even the Rex Smith who is the famous singer/actor,” he wrote on X.

Due to overwhelming fan reaction and demand, the network announced a rebroadcast of the concert in its entirety on Friday, April 19, at 9 p.m. EST/PST.

The event can also be streamed on Paramount+.

Billy Joel: The 100th

Anticipation was building for the singer and fans alike prior to the event, with Mr. Joel feeling the pressure of his record-setting run at the New York venue.

Speaking with USA Today, Mr. Joel said his tour has been a whirlwind since starting in January, and he forgets how much work the entire process is. When asked how it felt to hit the milestone 100 vs. 99 show, he joked it was a lot different.

“Well, yeah, because there were a bunch of cameras on stage! I’ve been playing [Madison Square Garden] since the ‘70s. The 100 just happened to be a round number and happened to coincide with a Garden show I was already doing.”

During the show, the 74-year-old reminisced about performing at Madison Square Garden, saying the venue holds sentiment for him.

​​"We play [in] a lot bigger places. We play similar arenas, but this is The Garden. I first came here when I was a little boy. I think I was about 4 [or] 5 years old. My parents brought me to the circus and the star that year was Gene Autry. He had a big hit with ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,’” he said.

Notably, the Grammy winner has sold out the venue more times than any other artist.

The musician was recently thrown back into the spotlight with the release of his new single, “Turn the Lights Back On,” earlier this year. The song was his first to hit the Billboard Hot 100 Chart since the late ‘90s.