A touring tribute show built around Billy Joel's catalog is rolling into San Francisco for a single performance, bringing Piano Man favorites and behind-the-songs storytelling to the historic Curran Theatre on Thursday, November 5, at 7:30 p.m. The production, called The Billy Joel Legacy: A Tribute Experience, stars singer, pianist, and actor Ian Benjamin as Joel, performing lead vocals and keys across the tour's more than 35 U.S. stops.
BroadwaySF announced the stop on Facebook, billing the night as a celebration of Joel's greatest hits paired with the story of the man behind the melodies, according to BroadwaySF. But there's a wrinkle worth knowing before buying a ticket: a spokesperson for Billy Joel has called the tour unauthorized, according to Newsday. The same report notes the 37-date tour skipped New York City and Long Island, where Joel's fan base runs deepest.
Who's Actually Behind the Show
The production was created and directed by Dean Elliott and produced by Right Angle Entertainment and Maple Tree Entertainment, the same team behind international touring tribute shows The Simon & Garfunkel Story and The Life and Music of George Michael, per BroadwayWorld.
The national tour launched September 17 in Stamford, Connecticut, with the San Francisco stop representing just one night on a schedule that stretches across dozens of cities; public ticket sales for the Curran date opened back in July.
What Audiences Will Actually See
Rather than a straightforward cover concert, the show blends live musical performances with cinematic multimedia projections and archival video clips exploring the inspirations behind songs including Piano Man, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, New York State of Mind, Uptown Girl, Movin' Out, and We Didn't Start the Fire, according to Current Publishing. Those screens reportedly feature interview clips of Joel himself alongside pop-culture appearances of his songs, giving the night a documentary-style layer beyond the live performance.
Inside San Francisco's Curran Theatre
The venue hosting the tribute has its own deep history. Located at 445 Geary Street in downtown San Francisco, the Curran Theatre opened in 1922 and now seats approximately 1,600 people. The Curran operates under ATG Entertainment and is programmed locally by BroadwaySF, which also presents touring Broadway productions and special concerts at the Orpheum and Golden Gate Theatres.
The Curran's fall calendar includes eclectic one-night bookings, including Taylor Mac's Tender Heart Revolution concert, scheduled for November 6, a solo cabaret show from Tony winner Alan Cumming, a live-orchestra screening of Terminator's synth score, and Barry Bostwick's appearance for a Rocky Horror screening.
Joel's Catalog
The tribute draws on Joel's catalog.
Joel has also had a record-setting 10-year residency at New York's Madison Square Garden. The tribute brings his songbook to the stage for audiences.
The timing lines up with other recent Joel news: last month, the singer placed more than 70 motorcycles from his personal Long Island collection up for auction, with proceeds benefiting his charitable foundation, whose causes include music education and humanitarian causes, as Hoodline reported.
