Long Island's Nassau Coliseum will shut its doors for renovations after one concluding concert on August 4. Who better to temporarily close the Uniondale arena than Hicksville's own Billy Joel?
The bittersweet event will mark Joel's 32nd appearance at the home of the NHL's New York Islanders, which opened its doors in 1972, notes Rolling Stone. Joel broke the Nassau Coliseum's sell-out record with a total of nine in 1988, the last time he played a solo show at the venue. His triumphs were rewarded with a banner that adorns the arena to this day.
Billy will be playing the final concert at @nassau_coliseum on August 4 before it undergoes renovation. More here: https://t.co/B1AQHLEBuC
— Billy Joel (@billyjoel) April 24, 2015
"Billy Joel is Long Island," Brett Yormark, chief executive of the Barclays Center said, reports Newsday. "He was the only artist we looked at."
Pre-sale tickets will be available for American Express cardholders on April 27 at 10 a.m. while tickets go on sale to the general public via Ticketmaster on May 1-prices will range from $49.50 to $119.50.
"We look at this as closing one chapter and then establishing a new one," Yorkmark said.
Following Joel's performance, the 43-year-old coliseum will be closed for wide-ranging updates that will cost Nassau Events Center $260 million. The arena will unveil in December 2016, equipped with a downscaled 13,000 seats as well as a shopping and entertainment center, reports Newsday. Some fear the updates may not be worth the money when the Islanders move from "The Barn" to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, taking their fans with them.
The piano man's 1982 Coliseum concert was recorded for HBO's 1983 special Billy Joel: Live From Long Island.
Joel has a busy summer agenda ahead as he's scheduled to headline Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee. Also making their way to the stage will be Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters, Florence and the Machine, My Morning Jacket, Deadmau5, Kendrick Lamar and Mumford and Sons.
