Getting to the Billy Joel Show in St. Louis
So, heard Billy Joel was coming to St. Louis. Haven’t seen him live in ages, probably not since… well, a long time ago. Figured, why not? Gotta do these things while you still can, right?
First thing was grabbing tickets. That’s always a bit of a circus these days. Went online right when they supposedly went on sale. Clicked around like mad. Website was slow, typical stuff. Almost gave up, thought they were all gone to bots or whatever. But persistence paid off, I guess. Managed to snag a couple of seats. Not the best, not the worst. Just glad to be in the building.
Then came the planning part. St. Louis isn’t exactly next door for me. Had to figure out the drive, where to park – always a nightmare downtown for big events. Decided to head out early on the day of the show. Left way before I thought I needed to, just to beat the worst of the traffic heading into the city. Packed some snacks, water, the usual road trip stuff. Didn’t want to pay arena prices for everything.
The Concert Experience
Finding parking was about what I expected. Drove around a bit, ended up in a lot a few blocks away. Paid more than I wanted, but what can you do? Walked over to the arena. Huge crowds already milling about. Lots of people wearing old concert t-shirts. You could feel the buzz, you know? People were excited.
Getting inside was smooth enough. Security check, ticket scan, boom, you’re in. Found our section, then the seats. Like I said, not front row, but a decent view of the stage. Watched the place fill up. It’s always kind of cool seeing that many people packed in for the same reason.
The show started pretty much on time. He just walked out, sat at the piano, and bang, right into it. The sound was LOUD. Maybe I’m getting old, but it felt really loud. But good loud, you know? You could hear everything clearly. The band was tight.
- Played a lot of the big hits, obviously.
- Did Piano Man, everyone sang along, waved their phone lights. Classic moment.
- Threw in a few deeper cuts too, which was nice. Showed he wasn’t just phoning it in.
- He talked quite a bit between songs. Told some stories, made some jokes. Seemed like he was having a good time up there.
Honestly, the guy’s still got it. Voice sounds good, piano playing is amazing. You forget how many stone-cold classic songs he’s written until you hear them one after another. The crowd was really into it, singing, dancing in the aisles where they could. Just a good vibe all around.
Heading Home
Show ended, big applause, the usual encore routine. Then the lights came up. Getting out was the usual slow shuffle with thousands of other people. Back to the parking lot, paid the guy, and started the drive home. Was pretty late by then, running on adrenaline and maybe a bit of overpriced arena soda.
Got home exhausted but feeling good. It was worth the hassle, the drive, the cost. Just a solid night out seeing a legend do his thing. Glad I made the effort. You don’t get too many chances for stuff like that anymore.