CBS Issues Apology For Cutting Off Billy Joel Concert Special
CBS has issued an apology regarding the error of cutting short last night’s (April 14) Billy Joel concert special.
Joel’s social media channels shared CBS’s statement. It began, “A network programming timing error ended last night’s Billy Joel special approximately two minutes early in the Eastern and Central Time Zones. We apologize to Mr. Joel, his fans, our affiliated stations, and our audience whose viewing experience was interrupted during the last song.” (Note: That last song was “Piano Man,” hence why there was a lot of backlash.)
CBS’s statement concluded, “Due to the overwhelming demand from his legion of fans, ‘Billy Joel: the 100th — Live at Madison Square Garden’ will be rebroadcast in its entirety on CBS on April 19th at 9:00PM ET/PT.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5yxoFyMSrW/
How Was the Billy Joel Concert Special Cut Short?
As we previously reported, the Billy Joel concert special was set to air on CBS from 9 PM – 11 PM EST. However, the conclusion of The Masters golf tournament pushed the special back. To make matters even worse, the live sports event led to Joel’s special being cut off at 11 PM in order for local news to air on schedule.
Again, the cut came during the special’s final song, which was “Piano Man.” This understandably made fans very upset. Below is one example of the feed which shows how abruptly the special was cut off. It’s still amazing that CBS allowed this to even happen.
WATCH: Viewers throughout the Eastern and Central Time Zones are fuming after CBS abruptly cut the broadcast of its Billy Joel concert, mid-Piano Man.
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) April 15, 2024
The program’s start time had been delayed because of extended Masters coverage on CBS. #BillyJoelOnCBS pic.twitter.com/YZPfksxvc6
After this truly remarkable error, fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to vent their frustrations about the sudden ending. IDK whose decision it was to cut off the end of the #BillyJoel concert for local news (AFTER starting 30 min late!) but it's unacceptable. #BillyJoel100 is an iconic moment in history, & all we wanted to do was "forget about life for a while" & you destroyed it. @CBS @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/ugcEyLmuGL
Details About Billy Joel’s Concert Special
The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden — The Greatest Arena Run of All Time was set up to be a wonderful tribute to a beloved musician. Joel’s special was first announced in February and was filmed on March 28. Believe it or not, this was also Joel’s first-ever broadcast network concert special.
Joel’s March 28 concert at Madison Square Garden was the 100th show in The Piano Man’s very lucrative residency at the iconic New York City venue.
He announced last year that he would be ending his Madison Square Garden residency in July 2024. The final show has been announced for July 25, 2024, which will be Joel’s 150th career performance at the legendary venue.
The remaining MSG residency shows are as follows:
-April 26, 2024
-May 9, 2024
-June 8, 2024
-July 25, 2024
Per Ultimate Classic Rock, Joel said during a June 2023 press conference about the end of his residency, “I’m kind of flabbergasted that it lasted as long as it did. My team tells me that we could continue to sell tickets, but ten years … 150 shows — all right already!”
Joel’s CBS special was all part of an eventful build-up to the end of his MSG residency. That build-up also included the Feb. 1 release of “Turn the Lights Back On,” his first new song in decades.