Billy Joel will be in a Miami state of mind this March.
In an event organized by Hurricane Productions, Joel, a six-time Grammy award winner, will grace the stage of the University of Miami’s BankUnited Center (BUC) for a night of music and questions on March 5.
“We wanted to bring in a totally different genre than what we’ve had before,” said Allison Novack, Hurricane Productions’ vice chair for campus relations. “He’s just such a classic.”
Joel’s feel-good rock ‘n’ roll music is a sharp contrast to Ludacris’ modern hip-hop.
“I don’t think that people are going to believe that this was an option,” Novack said. “He appeals to so many different people.”
Joel has been making music for lovers of all genres since the ‘70s. His last chart-topping album was released in 1993, when most undergraduates were still in diapers or entering preschool.
“It’s like a family thing,” sophomore Kelly McKinley said. “Your parents listen to him. I’ll probably die when he plays ‘Piano Man.’”
Joel will spend the evening discussing his music, answering student questions and performing a variety of songs throughout the night.
The event will be free, but attendance will be restricted to undergraduate students. Rather than filling up the BUC, only 1,800 tickets will be given out for the event.
“Billy Joel wanted to do something on a really intimate scale,” Novack said. “People are going to feel like they’re closer to him than at a normal concert, so we thought that was really cool.”
One ticket will be distributed per Cane Card on a first-come, first-serve basis at the University Center ticket window starting at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 15. There will be assigned seating, so students should plan on picking up tickets with the group they intend to go with.
“They’re going to go fast, so people should get there early,” Novack said.