In The Mood For a Melody -- Face 2 Face

PLAY ME A MEMORY

So I hadn’t seen a rock concert in decades. But then last August I saw Bruce Springsteen in Jacksonville and loved it. Then last week I saw “the” piano men, Billy Joel and Elton John, at their sold out Face 2 Face show in Jacksonville. Could it get any better, seeing three great artists in the last seven months? Yes. The Face 2 Face tickets were FREE. They were floor seats, no less. A work colleague gave my hubby the tickets that afternoon – his unfortunate conflict became our night to remember. Many songs conjured up memories that have been in the vault a long, long time.

For the paying fans, the icons of ivory, “the” piano men, gave everyone their money’s worth, at this very first show of the “Face 2 Face” 2009 world tour, kicked off in northeast Florida on March 2. The economy is bad. But regardless, fans turned out “to forget about life for awhile” in the legendary words of Joel’s song “Piano Man.” In fact, Joel actually thanked those at the Jacksonville arena for coming out, considering the economy.

We in the audience, fans for 20, 30, even 40 years, were middle-aged now, some AARP card-carrying seniors, concerned that 401Ks have tanked. (Not to mention the downward cascade of home equity over the past few years, like water flowing over Niagara Falls.) Very different from the worries we had decades ago, “when I wore a younger man’s clothes,” as the lyrics go.

But we were “in the mood for a melody,” and the artists were greeted with a sea of smiling faces in coastal northeast Florida. Many “yuppies” of the 80s packed the arena. We drove from south Georgia, Amelia Island, and other areas of Florida. There were plenty of Mercedes, Lexus, and Cadillacs in the parking lot. Black and white stretch limos lined the curb at the Jacksonville Veteran’s Memorial Arena.

Joel and John played their hearts out for over three hours. The audience was enamored, dancing and singing along. It is hard to digest how old we have gotten, and where the years have gone. It must also be somewhat surreal for the artists, looking out into the sea of faces -- how the demographic has changed. Their biggest fans have grown old with them.

Even though many Floridians are economically challenged now, with one of the hardest hit real estate markets, our personal net worths getting sucked down like a poolside Pina Colada, these piano men sold out this concert (and every other venue where tickets were released, so far). So, for those in cities around the globe on the Face 2 Face tour, take heed. Man your computers. Be ready to click in the first 60 seconds that tickets are released online.

John noted with a laugh “there’s an old man sitting next to me”…looking over at Joel. Seeing Billy Joel put his headset on with the harmonica for the final song, (his anthem) “Piano Man” -- hearing it live -- it doesn’t get any better. This was one of those moments --“priceless.”

I think I can speak for most of the audience in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. We were in good company. Our sentimental yearnings were fulfilled. We drifted back to the more uncluttered days of our youth. And it felt great to “forget about life for awhile.”

To Joel and John, in the words of another prolific entertainer, Bob Hope, "Thanks for the memories…”
W.B. Lawson


BILLY JOEL & ELTON JOHN FANS --
WATCH THESE VIDEOS on AMELIA ISLAND LIVING’S SOCIAL NETWORK:
30th Anniversary of The Stranger, interview with Bill Joel (2008 Sony Music).
“Classic” -- Billy Joel video circa 1985 singing “Piano Man,” (Sony Entertainment).
Elton John thanks Jacksonville, plays “Your Song” (live performance from 2003 show).
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About the author: W.B. Lawson of Florida Fine Living Media, Inc., writes lifestyle, tourism, and real estate articles, published in Amelia Island Living eMagazine .“Life in an island town…”