Billy Joel-Allentown (live)

[ford9572]

@bkeay100,God Bless Pennsylvania and all her hard-working, God-Fearing, people!!! It's people like you who make America great!!!

[kenndogg51]

allentown has more going for it than my pennsylvania town. we have lost 1/2 our population due to the loss of steel production in eastern PA and Western PA. no one wants our coal.

[TheRimDoctor]

I'm sure the Soviets were pretty uncomfortable with this gem.

[orpheusband]

Beatles soundalike.

[Brendonian85]

i want whatever drug the guy on the keyboard is on!

[ford9572]

@KOHF34 Yes this was filmed in 1987.

[KOHF34]

This was probably in the late 80s - when western music was gradually allowed into the USSR

[delly659]

i live about a half hour away from allentown (its not as exciting as he makes it sound in the song...trust me) and someone though they had a gas leak in their basement so they went to go check it out and they forgot a flashlight, but luckly they had a box of matches, and it turns out they had a gas leak good old pennslyvania hicks

[Mallet224]

Back when artists were actually artists and could play their music live...

[TheAj53]

i grew up in allentown :)

[RSK10580]

@TheAj53 I was born and raised in Bethlehem, currently living in Allentown :)

[flicknausi]

2 people hit dislike by accident.. someone find them and have them correct their mistake

[ins7777]

Liberty grooves

[flicknausi]

my favorite rendition of this song for sure

[flicknausi]

their were soldiers walking around shooting people up with tranquilizers are this concert.. russia was so bad back then.. craziness.. billy has balls to perform in the evil empire

[EGnCB4everr]

i live in allentown haha

[torstn]

from the way they perform this must have been in the 80s, reminds me why i am a big 80s fan!!

[lehighvalley75]

The song might as well have been about Allentown, since Bethlehem is adjacent and Bethlehem Steel's closing affected the entire Lehigh Valley region including Allentown.

[PejaRapiLudzie]

Billy Joel is amazing. For me he is one big musician personality

[Hmantooth]

Billy Joel is fucking awesome.

[joeglimmix]

barack is the messiah

[TexasMade20]

@68Barracuda11s you're a fucking idiot. a "nigger" is an ignorant person, pal. NOT an ignorant black person, an ignorant PERSON. Looks like you're the "nigger", nig nog. porch monkey, tar baby.. or should I say redneck? hick? NASCAR fan? toothless wonder? trailer trash? Either way you spin it, you're fucking trash. Pathetic.

[68Barracuda11s]

@TexasMade20 Hey fuck your mother you nigger loving cocksucking Texas shitkicker. How do you like that? A nigger is NOT an ignorant person. A nigger is a boot-lipped jungle bunny. Understand now? Fuckhead

[TexasMade20]

@68Barracuda11s yet again, another well thought out comeback by the toothless wonder. say fuck and nigger in every sentence and you feel like king of the world don't you? or just king of your trailer, trash. actually, you should be worried about AIDS. I mean, after all, you're the one who rapes guys who come through your woods, Deliverance. how loud do they squeal when you penetrate their unwilling assholes? what about the 11 year old cousins you rape, how loud do they squeal?

[MrChrista52086]

As a black person, I pray that God has mercy on your hate! Vengance is mine saith the Lord! Anyway, I love Billy Joel! Be Blessed! (Ignorance is bliss and you are very blissful!)

[CbassNL]

@MrChrista52086 What has you being black have to do with this.

[MrChrista52086]

@CbassNL Have you read the previous comments about nigger lovers up above my comments my friend?

[eltonator]

This version is slightly different to the album version. it's great that there's video here because you can see what an energetic performance it is.

[morockstation]

目の前の石を割れ

[unspokenrespect]

Allentown, USA

[Vivaldius09]

I agree: the whole world is Allen Town, never believe in the man made promises.

Watched from Chile

[tavo7lobos]

Sí ps, la Hicieron amigos. Son Increibles , the Song of the Workers , I LOVE LOVE IT. One Beautiful Song that Express the Reality OUTSIDE Outside The SOVIET UNION or CUBA. Yeah , u're right when u say `bout the young ppl From OUTSIDE who stayed to believe that things r going to get better . Saludos desde Sudamerica, Perú.

[AlexTube2006]

The world is becoming a large Allentown

[gabe25591]

@AlexTube2006 ... Not really... Especially considering the song isn't even about Allentown; there were never steel mills there.

[AlexTube2006]

@gabe25591 hi gabe, i meant that regarding the closing of factories, the current wars fought in the middle east in the name of freedom, throwing a flag on our face. some guys in the right places are getting richer, no matter where those factories go. The average joe's children go to fight wars that the congressmen children will not even see but on internet. Sad but true, it will be like this for another long while

[MtzUglyDuck]

Every inch of footage from this concert shows that Bill is the most badass rocker of all time.

[deliciousmorton]

such a proletarian song.

[michael72401]

I remember this tour to the USSR - i looked at it with hope for the future, and saw that soviet citizens were not the 5 headed monsters we were led to believe.

[blaster1985]

Great song; although, today, you'd never see a guy moving like his keyboard player here!

[toitlkatgr]

@blaster1985 I was mid-20's at the time of this concert, a big Billy Joel fan, and trust me---even back then we were saying "what the FUCK is the keyboard player doing?"

[musictranscription]

My friend asked me to transcribe this for him

[camselle]

if Alex Ovechkin had been around in the Eighties... the USSR would've won the Cold War....

[redneck16d]

I love this song. I am a PA boy born and raised. This was one of my favorite songs ever growing up. Plus this is a great video.

[balletguy]

thanks for posting....one of the best openings of any song i think

[siderado33]

que emocion carajo!!! :'(

[RDKF13]

They don't use the pipe anymore :(

[DMEAD123]

back in the ussr

[MrCopperhead1861]

When was this filmed? Did Billy truly play behind the iron curtain? Its sad that this song is still relevant.

[Snowpact]

Yeah, during the Russian leg of his 1987 tour.

[MrCopperhead1861]

Is there a DVD?

[44t56]

@MrCopperhead1861 Yeah, in 1987

[calangodoido]

His band's amazing! So much energy! I love when the musicians get into the music like that!

[DBR00]

One of Billy's BEST songs!! 20 Stars!!

[michael2B]

♠Makes ya wanna cry

[jdinard]

love this guy...how could ya not? I'm only 23 and I've been a fan of Billy Joel since I was 7

[0wner517]

i'm 16 and my father's introduced me to billy joel when i was 7, loved him ever since :) first album i listened to was the bridge. :O

[TheT4xid3rmist]

what year was this?

[jtax24]

1987, four years before the end of the "Cold War". This was such a great concert. I remember watching it on TV. It shows that music transcends language.

[TheT4xid3rmist]

That's exactly why I wanted to know. Was this during the cold war? Just shows you the power of music.

[glassfactory]

Do you know if this concert is available on dvd? Best regards.

[lifespeed151]

How old was Billy here

[rafalweb]

I always wanted to slap the keyboard player and tell him to stop dancing like a drunk chimp.

[Ollfie]

I know the feeling. God how I wanted to get up on stage and beat the shite out of the stupid muppet

[lmdrivas]

This was such a groundbreaking thing.. I remember being a little girl, like 8 or 9 years old, waiting for this to come on the radio. They played the concert on the radio and I recorded it on my little cassette player.. on old Anne Murray tapes of my Mom's with tape over the plastic cutouts.. I still have the tapes!

[speckalou]

Awesome, exactly the same just a different band (not Anne Murray) lol

[dave929]

What I thought was funny is that he has a Russian translator for his commentary and then he sings in ENGLISH. My question: Why would they need a translator if they go to the concert. I was waiting for the guy to sing his song in Russian!!!!! LOL

[fledgehog]

uhhhhhh are you serious

[dave929]

Well, think about it. They go to a concert where the musician speaks a different language. Kind of like going to an opera where all they do is sing in French, Italian or German. The spectacle of the concert is good, but that part always strikes me as a bit comical.

[rafalweb]

The kids in the audience don't care what language the song is in as long as it's a good song.  But if all they're getting is speech, then they need to know what the guy is saying.

[dave929]

I agree and most of the audience does tend to only want to hear good music. I bet if all the artists did was play the music and not sing at all the crowds would be thin to non-existent! Agreed? Then again, why do we go see opera if we don't understand what is being said? Same difference..........

[dave929]

This was a very good song when it came out. My uncle worked at Bethlehem Steel from the 60's to the early 80's. My aunt HATED this song until the tourists came to see Allentown for themselves. Then it was okay. LMAO!

[tailgunner2]

I'm sure many a "Russian" can relate to this song quite well. However, with the climate changine, and the Siberian hinterlands thawing, leaving vast natural resources in reach, we might see a new rebirth of a better Russia in the next twenty years.

[gabbynewneo]

made my grandpa in Pennsylvania drive me to Allentown yesterday

[trunkeight]

That is one hell of a great pop song!

100% hooks in every line!

[ham123see]

kasno vasi vanci daml "fuck"

[DBR00]

the guy at the beginning was beating his pole

[ramborossco]

I Saw billy Last Month or last year,

This was the best song,(Piano Man was good too).

[corrupt200]

At last nights concert he dedicated this song to soon-to-be President Barack Obama (i like the sound of that)

[ramborossco]

That sound's like Billy, He truely is a Pioneer.

Thanks to Billy this is my favourite song.

[mascotman07]

this is a great song...I'm proud to live in Bethlehem right were the steel factories are they are such and awesome site to see

[ramborossco]

Awesome man, i"d love for someone to write a book about the old stories, right through from the start, until there closure in the 70s.

[mascotman07]

they really didn't close until 2003 thats when they filed for bankruptcys...and now thet are tearing it down to build casinos

[ramborossco]

Casino's Eh?,interesting.

[kenouryios]

I love this song too, it's my favorite Billy Joel song of all time..

[cristine2k]

love this song!!!!

[glassfactory]

Where do these guys get there energy?The atmosphere at the gig must have been electifying

[nauselom]

damn right, Atown ftw

[ercshur]

i brag to everyone i know that Billy Joel wrote a song about my hometown

[metallica2727]

i wanna be that guy beeting the pole

[henry12i]

you already do beat the pole...

[PootyHead]

That was nasty.

[batatacollins]

Awesome..!! Love it !!

[ddeelliiaa11]

wow that was amazing <3

[Andree990]

I love how most of the people can't understand a word he's saying-But they love him anyway. That's the power of music.

[mission2marsden]

That's the power of BILLY JOEL!!! XD

[darrenwalsh66]

I love Billy! But what is he doing with Weird Al?

[mission2marsden]

that's weird al?

[Qboy316]

haha, no, its not.

[Qboy316]

was this the concert where he threw a keyboard off the stand cause they wouldn't lower the crowd lights?

[mission2marsden]

yep. you can find that video here on YouTube.

[danielchakraborty]

What energy? all of 'em in tandem... YAY.. made my morning... :)

[vkotis]

yeah, the whole band was into it:) i love this song!!!

[kinkobobs]

Wow how old is this video?

[mission2marsden]

1987

[rafalweb]

1987

[ChestyMcFry]

Certainly an excellent song, I think I am solely responsible for about 10% of the total number of times this video has been viewed.

[btljpgr]

that keyboard player is getting me PISSED OFF! he starts at 1:11

[BigCity19]

i think he is trying ot get attention

[mission2marsden]

he's just having fun

[rafalweb]

Yeah, he dances like a jerk.

[btljpgr]

ha ha i live near allentown

[mission2marsden]

there's a video for this performance??

[WilliamRowlett]

This concert was played in 1987, I think, because I remember renting the video of it in 1988. Wow! 20 years and it still holds up well. I LOVED seeing the Soviet kids having such a good time. Remember the images of Kruschev, Brezhnev, & Stalin standing on the wall during May Day parades looking sour, old and mean? Those kids were enjoying themselves and probably unable to understand a single word of that song. Very nice.

[mission2marsden]

oh wait sorry i thought you were talking about billy joel...

[mission2marsden]

NO HE IS NOT A TURD!!!!

[vkotis]

WOW. I love that song! they really played that great live.

[rafalweb]

Keyboard player annoys the hell out of me.

[stringoflies]

Yeah, he's a turd,isn't he?

[stringoflies]

do you have this in 4:3 aspect ratio without the skips in the a/v?