Billy Joel and Rod Stewart to Play Cleveland in September

At a press conference held Thursday afternoon, Billy Joel and Rod Stewart, both members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, were announced to perform at Browns Stadium this September as headline acts. Tickets go on sale Friday morning.

Billy Joel has become one of the world’s most esteemed and popular musicians over time, with classic hits like Piano Man, Scenes From An Italian Restaurant, and She’s Always A Woman. His music draws upon influences spanning a range of genres such as European classical composers such as Aaron Copland as well as 50’s doo wop, Broadway/Tin Pan Alley music from 1950, jazz blues punk ska gospel rock & roll music among others – making it difficult to categorize him despite widespread success over many decades. This eclecticism has contributed significantly to Billy’s broad appeal over his lengthy career as a performer.

Joel has also ventured into business ventures beyond music. For over 25 years he owned the New York Rangers hockey team. Additionally he owned racehorses and donated extensively to charities and educational institutions – eventually being honored with induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1994.

Joel returned from a brief hiatus from recording in 1981 with The Nylon Curtain, widely considered his most ambitious and audacious album. While recording, Joel experienced a motorcycle accident and broke wrist, which prevented him from playing piano for months – to keep spirits high he wrote and recorded songs such as “Captain Jack” and “The Ballad of Billy the Kid”, both originally released as live albums on Songs in the Attic but which eventually became part of Joel’s concert repertoire when The Nylon Curtain came out.

Fred Schruers: Tom, in your book you reveal many surprising aspects of Billy’s family history that were previously unknown to the public. What proportion of Billy’s dark personality may be linked to his father and family’s experiences fleeing Nazi Germany?

Tom Teicholz: Absolutely correct; his father was an extremely successful businessman in the textile industry who had to sell off most of it so his family could emigrate from their homeland of Germany, leading him to create music with darker and depressive tones that are evident today. This likely accounts for much of what lies at the heart of some of his compositions.

Thanks to the support of local business and community leaders, Cleveland will host an amazing experience when these two legendary artists take the stage at Browns Stadium. We hope that we see you there!