As tributes continue to pour in for the late Jeff Beck, Billy Joel offered his own homage to the late guitar hero with a pair of covers at Madison Square Garden on Friday. Beck passed away on Tuesday at the age of 78 shortly after contracting bacterial meningitis.
During his 132nd concert at The World’s Most Famous Arena, The Piano Man first performed “People Get Ready”, a song originally written by Curtis Mayfield that Beck recorded with his old Jeff Beck Group bandmate Rod Stewart for the guitarist’s 1985 album, Flash. The song became a signature one for Beck, remaining a setlist staple throughout his career.
“He was a musician that I always loved. He was the best,” Joel told the crowd. “I couldn’t let the night go by without doing something by Jeff.”
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Later on, Joel and his band wound down the show with “You May Be Right”, which also took a detour into Led Zeppelin‘s “Rock and Roll”. After finishing out the Glass Houses favorite, Joel remained at his grand piano and started a jam into “Going Down”. The skill of Joel’s backing band was on full display as the musicians jumped into the Don Nix-penned song on the fly, with Joel quipping, “We should have rehearsed it.” The track appeared on the Jeff Beck Group’s 1972 album and brought the concert to a cathartically bluesy climax.
Watch Billy Joel pay tribute to Jeff Beck with a pair of covers at Madison Square Garden on Friday.
Billy Joel – “People Get Ready” (Curtis Mayfield) – 1/13/23
[Video: Billy Joel Concert Videos]
Billy Joel – “You May Be Right”, “Going Down” (Don Nix) – 1/13/23
[Video: Jim Powers]