BILLY 3 – RIVER OF DREAMS
Photo credit:
Kevin Mazur
July 24-25, 1980 (2 shows)
Glass Houses
Billy Joel had sold out five shows at Madison Square Garden the month before, but he wanted to give Long Islanders a taste of the ”Glass House” tour on their home turf. He turned two shows at the Coliseum into benefits for Charity Begins at Home — which his then-wife Elizabeth had just started to run full-time as she stepped away from managing Joel’s career — and sold those shows out as well. It was a heady time.’’Glass Houses’’ was in its sixth week at No. 1 on the albums chart and ‘’It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me’’ had just started its two-week run atop the singles charts.
By the numbers:
- Prime ticket cost for both shows $25
- Total number of tickets sold for both 32,000
- Amount distributed to various LI charities $600,000
(“It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me”) is the song by which many will remember the summer of 1980. – Wayne Robins, Newsday, June 25, 1980