Billy Joel performed at the Grammy Awards for the first time in 22 years, closing Sunday night’s (February 4th) ceremony by playing “Turn the Lights Back On,” his first new music in nearly two decades. He also performed one of his classic hits, “You May Be Right.”
Joel premiered “Turn the Lights Back On” in the days ahead of the Grammys. Co-written by Freddy Wexler, Arthur Bacon, and Wayne Hector, the song is a piano ballad that conveys Joel’s signature style, with a few modern touches. For his Grammys performance, the Piano Man took center stage with a full backing band, complete with Icelandic jazz-pop revivalist Laufey on cello.
Prior to “Turn the Lights Back On,” Joel’s most-recent release was 2007’s “All My Life.” In 2001, he shared his latest studio album, the classical collection Fantasies & Delusions, with his most-recent pop album being 1993’s River of Dreams.
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Joel is a six-time Grammy winner, and Sunday night’s performance wasn’t his first time laying it down on the Grammys stage. In 1994, after CBS cut off a speech from Frank Sinatra for a commercial break, Joel famously stopped a performance of “The River of Dreams” mid-song in protest.
Up next, Joel will finish up his long-running residency at Madison Square Garden with his 150th show there on July 25th. After that, he’s booked for a number of shows around the country, including co-headlining shows with Stevie Nicks and Sting. Check out his upcoming dates, and grab tickets here.
For more on the 2024 Grammys, keep up-to-date with the full list of winners and performers.
Billy joel performs at the 2024 #GrammyAwards pic.twitter.com/6CXDvyasEs
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 5, 2024
The Piano Man is back! #BillyJoel performs “Turn The Lights Back On” at the #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/rRQqdaPen5
— Mike Adam (@MikeAdamOnAir) February 5, 2024
Billy Joel closes out the 2024 #GrammyAwards pic.twitter.com/l3Akpg3lkK
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 5, 2024
