Billy Joel fans lashed out on social media after the star’s Sunday night primetime CBS special started late and was also cut short.
Fans tuned in to see Joel’s iconic 100th concert at Madison Square Garden performance from earlier in 2024 and were disappointed when it aired late due to the Masters. Many waited until it finally began, but were met with another huge disappointment when Joel was cut off before finishing the performance of his most famous single, “Piano Man.”
To everyone blowing up the @CBS58 phones– CBS national cut out of the Billy Joel concert 45-seconds early, IT WASN’T US I SWEAR.
We would never do that to the Piano Man.
— Bill Walsh 💎 (@BillatCBS58) April 15, 2024
Fans were stunned when the performance suddenly flicked to black, and they were left staring at an empty screen, according to TMZ.
Viewers on the East Coast reportedly had the worst experience. After some awkward silence, local anchors appeared on the screen and immediately launched into a conversation about the Trump trial due to begin in court on Monday. This is not at all the type of content viewers were expecting.
“I know there’s serious, terrible stuff going on in the world. And at home many of us struggle to pay bills. Which is precisely why we’re so pissed off about Billy Joel being cut off, and during the song containing the lyric ‘to forget about life for a while’, to boot,” one online user wrote.
I know there’s serious, terrible stuff going on in the world. And at home many of us struggle to pay bills. Which is precisely why we’re so pissed off about Billy Joel being cut off, and during the song containing the lyric ‘to forget about life for a while’, to boot.
— Jeremy Griffiths 🔰 🇺🇦 (@ElvisBadgerchap) April 15, 2024
“WHAT THE…?! WKRC- Channel 12 cut off Billy Joel: The 100th-Live at MSG for the local news at 11: 30. @billyjoel was singing “Piano Man.” Who did this, @Local12? I hope@CBS knows you did this. Absolutely CLASSLESS. #BillJoel #Cincinnati #WKRC,” Bernie Wong wrote.
“CBS just screwed the end of the Bill Joel live show. Cutting to commercial then the news during the end of Piano Man,” a user by the name of Carl said.
TV Journalist Bill Walsh addressed angered fans by writing, “To everyone blowing up the @CBS58 phones — CBS national cut out of the Billy Joel concert 45-seconds early, IT WASN’T US I SWEAR. We would never do that to the Piano Man.”
Hey @KCTV5 — thanks for RUINING the Bill Joel 100th at Madison Square Garden. ARGH!!! pic.twitter.com/eeZDc00ZVv
— Martin Slimmer (@mslimmer) April 15, 2024
One of the anchors that unexpectedly flickered onto screens, Rex Smith, acknowledged the disappointment of fans by quipping at the situation.
“I apologize to the people who were enjoying Billy Joel singing on TV then all of a sudden had to see my face. I’d have picked Billy Joel over me, too. I’m not even the Rex Smith who is the famous singer/actor ☹️,” he wrote. (RELATED: ‘What The F*ck?” Grimes Cusses And Shrieks Her Way Through Awkward Technical Difficulties)
Billy Joel attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Those who were disconnected from the experience can still view the special by streaming it online.