Billy Joel fans who tuned into his Madison Square Garden concert special on CBS Sunday night (March 14th) were left disappointed when the broadcast was cut off in the middle of “Piano Man” for regularly scheduled local news programming.
Thanks to the network’s 2024 Masters tournament coverage running long, the recording of his landmark 100th consecutive performance at MSG started 30 minutes late. CBS had heavily advertised the special as Joel’s “first-ever show to be broadcast on television,” and viewers were understandably pissed off.
“CBS has been promoting the Billy Joel concert special every two minutes for WEEKS,” wrote one viewer on Twitter. “So what better way to air it than to preempt it for a half hour and [then] cut him off MID-PIANO MAN? C’mon guys.”
Another fan told CBS to “fuck off” and called switching to local news “absolutely pathetic decision making.”
To add insult to injury, only Paramount+ subscribers can watch Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden in full as of publishing.
Joel’s Madison Square Garden residency will come to an end on July 25th, but he is also scheduled for co-headlining tour dates with Stevie Nicks, Sting, and Rod Stewart. See his full touring schedule, and pick up tickets here.
If you’d like, revisit the Piano Man’s 2024 Grammys performance of his comeback single, “Turn the Lights Back On.”
Viewers throughout the Eastern and Central Time Zones had the broadcast of the Billy Joel concert cut off, mid-Piano Man.
Evidently, CBS was no longer in the mood for a melody. pic.twitter.com/bVlcIReRXn
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 15, 2024
CBS has been promoting the Billy Joel concert special every two minutes for WEEKS. So what better way to air it than to preempt it for a half hour and the cut him off MID-PIANO MAN? C’mon guys.
— Emily Gandolfo (@emilyrgandolfo) April 15, 2024
Dear @CBS , Fuck off.#BillyJoel #MSG #100 concert not only starts a half hour late, but then you cut off the last 3-4 minutes for local news to start at 1130? Are you serious. Absolutely pathetic decision making, on an event that’s been advertised for MONTHS, and you fuck it up
— Tom Lagacy (@Tommygunn1544) April 15, 2024
