Posted in: CBS, Opinion, Paramount+, Preview, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: billy joel, cbs, madison square garden, MSG, paramount

Billy Joel Fans Put Pressure on CBS for Cutting "Piano Man" Short

CBS cut off Billy Joel: The 100th - Live at Madison Square Garden early - in the middle of "Piano Man." Let's just say folks were NOT happy.

On Sunday night, Billy Joel fans were treated to a first – the first time one of his concerts has aired on a broadcast network. So how did CBS choose to treat viewers who tuned in to watch Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden? Kinda crappy, actually. Because here's the thing – you can't spend a lot of time selling us on how huge of a milestone this is and the one-of-a-kind special you have honoring it to then… cut it off in the middle of "Piano Man." Seriously? "Piano Man"? First, CBS shouldn't have cut it off just because the 2024 Masters Tournament ran long by about 30 minutes – sorry, local news. But to then do it in the middle of one of the songs that the dude's best known for? Wow. Ouch.

The decision received exactly the kind of response that it deserved on social media – with local news reporters around the country posting to let folks know that they had nothing to do with the decision:

During the special event, 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist Sting and Emmy Award-winning comedian, writer & director Jerry Seinfeld (Frosted) both hit the stage to join Joel – for two very different reasons. On the music side, Sting and Joel brought their musical talents together to perform the hits "Big Man on Mulberry Street" and "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic." On the commemorating side, Seinfeld will be on hand as the official banner commemorating Joel's MSG run is raised in Joel's honor. Here's a look at the image gallery from the event – and make sure to check out four really great previews of the music you can expect (cut off just like CBS did)…

Now, here's a look at four of the songs from tonight that we're petty sure you might be familiar with – "My Life," "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant," "New York State of Mind," and "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"

CBS's Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden is a co-production of Sony Music Entertainment and Enliven Entertainment. Steve Cohen, Barry Ehrmann, and Paul Dugdale are executive producers. Directed by Emmy, BAFTA, and DGA Award-winning Paul Dugdale – with Sony Music Vision serving as the distributor.

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