Over its 47 years in existence, "The World's Most Famous Arena," Madison Square Garden has hosted countless major and legendary music artists, and Billy Joel's rocking and record-breaking residency will undoubtedly top the list of great events long after it concludes. On October 21, Joel will play his 68th show at the venue, a monthly tradition he began in early 2014 and promised to continue until he couldn't sell out a show, according to Rolling Stone.The 66-year-old's success at MSG is one of many major events the venue has hosted over the years. Prior to Joel's record breaking show in July, the longest concert streak at MSG was held by his long-time friend Elton John, who has been playing shows at the venue since 1973, racking up 65 shows in his career. The singer has called MSG his "favorite place to play." Other major recurring performers include Madonna, who has played the venue routinely for over 30 years, and Irish rock band U2, who has held residencies as long as eight consecutive nights at the historic venue, have racked up a total of 17 performances throughout their career.
Unsurprisingly, the "Piano Man" singer has yet to have a problem moving tickets to one of his monthly dates. It has been notably the opposite, as tickets to see Billy Joel on the resale market have been outrageously pricey each month. His October 21 show, which marked his 22nd show in the monthly series, had an average resale ticket price of $225, with a get-in price of $70. His scheduled date for November is averaging $317 on the resale ticket market, and December is already climbing to $360, according to data provided by TiqIQ. Even the parking is seeing a bit of a surge, but Madison Square Garden parking on ParkWhiz, which aggregates the best deals in the local area, does start at $30.
(Photo : Brian Ach/Getty Images for ASCAP)
Billy Joel's success at MSG should come as no surprise given his popularity in both New York City and the world at large. According to BroadwayWorld, Joel has sold over 150 million records in the past quarter century, and ranks as one of most popular recording artists in history. He is the sixth best-selling recording artist of all time, and one of the highest grossing touring artists in the world.
