Daughters Join Billy Joel Onstage at Madison Square Garden for One of Venue’s Last Shows

The general view of the scoreboard showing that Toronto had sent 55 shots on Alexandar Georgiev #40 of the New York Rangers with just two minutes left to play at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Feb. 10, 2019. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Singer Billy Joel’s youngest daughters are following in their father’s musical footsteps.

On Tuesday, the minstrel’s “uptown girls” Della Rose, 8, and Remy Anne, 6, joined their famous father, 74, on stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Dressed festively in green leather-looking dresses and black tights, the duo performed the Christmas classic “Jingle Bells” alongside their famous dad.

Later, special guest musician Elvis Costello also joined Mr. Joel to perform a duet. With Mr. Joel at the piano, Mr. Costello sang “Pump It Up” while the pair joined vocals to duet on “Allentown,” from Mr. Joel’s 1982 album ”The Nylon Curtain.”

Mr. Joel shares his two youngest daughters with his fourth wife, Alexis Roderick, whom he married in 2015 at the couple’s annual Fourth of July party in Long Island. He is also dad to daughter Alexa Ray, 36, who he had with his second wife, supermodel Christie Brinkley.

At Tuesday’s concert, the attendance of director Greta Gerwig “Barbie” with her husband, director Noah Baumbach, also stood out to those there.

Past Live Performances With His Children

When it comes to Mr. Joel singing live with his children, Tuesday’s performance wasn’t the first. In 2018, Della Rose helped her famous father belt out his 1980s hit “Don’t Tell Me Why” at the same iconic venue. It’s what Mr. Joel described as one of her favorite songs.

During that same concert, his daughter Alexa Ray made headlines by singing a rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” at Madison Square Garden. The holiday tune was made famous by actress Judy Garland in the 1944 film “Meet Me in St. Louis.”

Madison Square Garden Residency to End

It was in June that Mr. Joel announced that after 150 shows he would conclude his monthly show schedule at Madison Square Garden in July 2024. The record-breaking residency first kicked off in January 2014 and was only halted during COVID-19 and for a few other occasions when medical issues forced a show delay.

Mr. Joel had promised to keep playing “as long as the demand continues,” and the demand only grew as the years went by. That’s despite the fact that it’s now been 30 years since Mr. Joel released his latest album.

“It’s hard to believe we’ve been able to do this for 10 years,” Mr. Joel said at a news conference at the time. “I’m now 74. I’ll be 75 next year. It seems like a nice number.”

“I’m kind of flabbergasted that it lasted as long as it did. My team tells me that we could continue to sell tickets but 10 years, 150 shows—all right already!” the “Piano Man” singer added.

Over the years, many surprise guests joined him while performing, including Tony Bennett, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Miley Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, Jimmy Fallon, Sting, and Jon Bon Jovi.

New Exhibit Honors Joel

Beyond performing, Mr. Joel has marked other landmarks recently.

In November, a new exhibit entitled “Billy Joel: My Life — A Piano Man’s Journey” opened at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. The showcase explores and honors the Grammy winner’s more than 50-year career.

“We were surprised because he had never ever OK’d an exhibition that involved his career or himself,” exhibit curator Kevin O’Callaghan told The New York Post at the time. “He’s a very humble guy.”

For Mr. Joel, the idea of having such an exhibit dedicated to him was “overwhelming.”

“It’s a little overwhelming,” Mr. Joel said prior to the exhibit opening. “Have you ever found yourself surrounded by you? It’s kind of a nightmare.”

“I guess I’ve lived,” he said.

The exhibit is slated to stay at the LIMEHOF through the summer of 2024.

In terms of performances, Mr. Joel will return to the stage on New Year’s Eve in Long Island. He is set to perform at the UBS Arena at Belmont Park for the first time, before returning to Madison Square Garden on Jan. 11 for another sold-out show.