Billy Joel is one of those performers who must be seen live no matter what kind of music you listen to. Having been a fan for many years but unfortunately living in the New York metro area where one must barter kidneys and firstborn children to have even a chance at a ticket to one of his shows, I was finally able to see Billy on this tour in Philadelphia. It was well worth the twenty-odd-year wait, and "12 Gardens" is a fine representation of the show. Billy plays to both the casual fans and the diehards, including plenty of his hits ("You May Be Right," "We Didn't Start The Fire" and, of course, "Piano Man") and some obscure stuff ("Laura," "Zanzibar," "Miami 2017"). Billy's voice is still remarkable and hasn't lost much of its range, and his piano work is as always tremendous. What comes across most in "12 Gardens," though, is his obvious love of performing. He's having an absolute blast and you can hear it in every note; there is nothing better than listening to a performer who truly loves what he does.

So why only 4 stars? Personal nitpicking on my part--"Pressure" isn't included, which is a shame since he did a spectacular job of it (and it also happens to be my favorite song of his). What I was really hoping for, though, was the inclusion of his cover of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell," on which he played guitar and one of his roadies sang (very well, I might add!). As the friend who accompanied me to the show said, "I never thought I'd be throwing metal at a Billy Joel concert!" But don't mind my personal prejudices--if you're even a casual Billy Joel fan you'll enjoy "12 Gardens." In an age where "performers" lip-sync to pre-recorded tracks and charge hundreds of dollars for people to witness it, it's refreshing to listen to someone with immense musical talent do what he does best.

Billy Joel, like his 88-key counterpart Elton John, started as a troubador and turned those early years pounding a piano in various dives and small venues into quite an illustrious career as one of pop music's most enduring and best loved singer-songwriters, who also happened to be able to bring down the house when on stage. "12 Gardens Live" is an audio illustration of why Joel has always been exceptional live - the ability to take his pop confections, album standards and deep cuts and give them new life in front of an audience. That he sold out 12 nights at Madison Square Garden is no surprise-Joel's still got the chops, both vocally and on the piano, and easily punctuates why the piano is an integral part of rock and roll, while not neglecting the guitar and sax. And New York is a "hometown" audience, so of course he's right at home there. His energy for performing is evident and some of the rearrangements let the songs take off on their own now and then with interesting results. Playing songs rarely heard live, like "Laura" and "She's Right on Time" (from "The Nylon Curtain"), the single "The Night is Still Young," and "Don't Ask Me Why" (from "Glass Houses") side by side with Joel's list of tried and true concert favorites make for a nice collection of some of his best material. However, unlike Elton John, who's proven that one can grow old gracefully on record and still make good on stage, Joel's been sadly absent from the studio these last years and if anything what's only missing from this great set is some recent material, as there's nothing here written after "River of Dreams." If anything "12 Gardens Live" serves to prove that Joel's got what it takes-the Piano Man can play and certainly he can also write; Joel just needs to get in the studio and get back to doing what he's quite obviously so good at.

I have been a Billy Joel fan all my life. I would have loved to have seen him in concert in Madison Square Garden. This 2 disc set of live performances is probably the closest I'll ever get to seeing him live. Most of his biggest hits on here. I enjoyed classic songs like Movin Out, Big Shot, New York State of Mind, and Piano Man. However, I think that some of his biggest hit songs are not included here like Honesty, Uptown Girl, You're Only Human, and Pressure, but I guess these songs are not as popular as the ones he performed. Billy Joel has always been able to identify with the common working man, and I think this is why he has lasted so long. One of my favorite tracks is Downeaster Alexa. This song is a tribute to his daughter and to the many fishermen who struggle each day to make a living. Another excellent working man song is Billy's hit from 1982 entitled Allentown. I also enjoyed the track Vienna. This is a lesser known but very lovely song about trying to slow to enjoy life. Always A Woman is a beautiful love song that won the Grammy for best song in 1979. Overall, I think Billy sounds great vocally and on the piano here. The musicians in his band are excellent too.

The first question that begs answering is:, "What is the point of this album?" We already have "2000 Years: the Millenium Concert," and Billy has not released a studio album (of pop music) since then. Was Billy not happy with the "2000 Years" album? Perhaps the answer lies in a perusal of the two set lists. To be sure, there's lots of overlap between the two - Only the Good Die Young, Allentown, and Angry Young Man are on both discs (and also on the Leningrad album). However, there are many lesser-known pieces that are on this live album and no other (of his 4 major live releases). Obviously this is the reason to get the disc, so I'll list them here: The Entertainer, Vienna, The Night is Still Young, Zanzibar, Great Wall of China, She's Right on Time, Laura, Room of Our Own, Downeaster Alexa, Always a Woman, Keeping the Faith, and And So it Goes. This is a pretty long list, and makes it worth having both the Millenium Concert and 12 Gardens.

That's for the die-hard Billy Joel fan, of course. What the average Joe wants to know is, "is this album better than his other live albums?" The answer may depend on the songs you want to have in your collection. Certainly, the Leningrad versions of "A Matter of Trust," "Angry Young Man," and "Allentown" are far superior to the versions on this album, just as "Miami 2017" and "Everybody Loves You Now" are far superior on "Songs in the Attic." I think this is because Billy can't seem to bring the same energy the songs. This is true of most of the songs until the last 1/3 of the concert - this album's versions of "Only the Good Die Young" and "You May be Right" are the best live versions I've heard of these songs (including the concert videos).

So what about the other important Live Album Criterion: Are there versions on here superior to any other version of the song - including the original studio versions? The answer, fortunately, is "yes." To be sure, the "Ballad of Brenda and Eddie" section of "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" should be better live, as it was born as a live song. On this album, it is abundantly clear that the only way to appreciate this song is live. I also enjoyed these versions of "Zanzibar" and "Vienna" at least as much as the studio versions. Similarly, live albums often find their best moments when the audience can participate, and certainly being in the middle of 25,000 people all singing "Piano Man" is the ultimate moment in audience participation; it comes across very well on this recording. A second audience participation moment that is a pleasant surprise appears on "Keeping the Faith," another song that is far superior here than on the studio recording.

There are some outright disappointments, i.e., "Goodnight Saigon," "Angry Young Man," and "The Downeaster Alexa," which are not performed that well, especially the funereal pace of "Goodnight Saigon." However, on the balance, this is a good live album, especially for the more obscure songs (for the big Billy fans) and the energy and fun of the latter parts of the concert.

Billy Joel has had a rough couple of years. He has been in rehab a few times and crashed some cars. He has managed to turn things around lately with a new marriage and this amazing live cd of his twelve night stand at Madison Square Garden. Lets look at the things that matter. His pianao playing is still top notcha and he rushes some numbers and is ponderous on another but he has agreat back up band and vocalsists. Now we come to the voice itself. At 55, Billy has lowered the keys on most of his numbers and i say so what. We all get older. At least he is not trying to pretend to hide the passage of time.His voice actually gets stronger as the concert progresse, allowing him to hit the high notes on "An Innocent Man" and he actually seesm to thrive on the energy of the crowd so with the exception of Piano Man, his voice has held up well. Still has the pipes.Unlike Elton John who cant sing any more. Billy still sounds like bILLY.i GUESS i wish he would record a new album of songs, but this live cd sates me for along time to come.