Billy Joel's Root Beer Rag, live '78

From Billy at the Beeb DVD of his performance at the BBC in 1978

When I was twelve, in the days before the internet, I heard this song on the radio and proceeded to purchase every last album Billy Joel produced to track it down. I ended up finding it on the last album there was to collect--Streetlife Serenade (1974). Here, the Piano Man lives up to his title in a live performance at the BBC. Fans of Billy Joel will be please to know that he actually still rocks this one live in 2009.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Billy Joel
• Root Beer Rag

[DarklordZagarna]

@kettle321 That's a synthesizer, not a piano. Billy went through a synthesizer phase...

[TheJamesbond20]

ähh..it's tooooo fast

[mrswb]

1:58 lol

[mountainbliss4u]

wow! All I can say is wow!

[kettle321]

I like that poor other guy on the piano.... Looks like he's not very good compared to Joel XD

[LifeInNewJersey]

I was about 14 (in 1979) when I heard this song and had been taking piano lessons for five years. As soon as I heard the songs from The Stranger, I went back and bought EVERYTHING recorded by Billy Joel (including a bootleg of Cold Spring Harbour). I tried for years to play this song but I was in wayyyy over my teenaged head! Thanks for posting. I'm sending it to my parents who I tortured for years as I tried to master this song! I still love this song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[phoenix2972]

Ffffffuuuuu........... wow!!!

[greenshogun]

I love how he scratches his nose in the middle of the performance...haha

[00djm]

He truly is the piano man.



[TheRealman42]

WHOAAAAAAH! I am in absolute AWE! That was amazing! If I ever get this good at piano, I'll die a happy man. Peace.