Finally

When I was 14 years old, I placed my very first order with Columbia House, and had to pick my 7 free tapes, yes cassette tapes. I was not very knowlegeable about music, I am still not....I just know what I like. I ordered Billy Joel's Greatest Hits, Vol 1 and 2, thinking, I know some of his songs. It was love. I had soooo many favorites on that tape....The Stranger, Only the Good Dye Young, Vienna and Scenes (the latter twowere not on my tape, they were only on the CD many years later, but are now favorites too). In the years to follow, while my friends listened to various other artists de jour, I was always devoted to Billy.I still am. My children are a testament to this. Now 8 and 6,they know many of the words to my favorite Billy songs, and they have their own favorites too. My son came to me the other day playing the opening notes of the Piano Man on his harmonica. He was so excited to show me!

Living inNew Brunswick Canada, Billy Joel has never been our wayto play. It has always been aHUGE dream of mine to see Billy in concert. My husbandroutinely would check venues whenever he was touring to see if there were any dates/locations we could swing. The closest we came was when Billy and Elton John were touring, and haddates in Montreal. I was very pregnant at that time and it was not an option. I sent money with a friend to buy me a souvenier. Sigh.

My time finaly came this pastDecember, 2007. Iinearly November,a goodfriend of mine sent me a little snippit of herblurry cell phone video with terrible soundfromCalgarythat was unmistakably Billy playing Scenes and Only the Good die Young.My heartbegan to beat faster andI felt flushed to be seeing Billy live....kind of. Then came the snippit of PianoMan.....and I started to well up. My husband was witness to this emotional silliness, and we wereon line, once again, checking out if there were anydates in his 2007/08 tour we coulddo. To make a long story short, within a couple of hours I hadrow 13 concert tickets and a couple of plane tickets to Billy Joel's Dec 6th concert in Kansas City, Missouri.I was psyched!We were going for3 days,1 day flying there, 1 day concert, 1 day flying home. I had never done anything so nuts and"nonpractical" in my entire life and it was exhilerating! Now I just needed to find somewhere for my children to stay while we were gone. Hmmm.Thank you Mom and Dad! Then was the concert. The flight and travelling were touch and go with snow storms in both New Brunswick and Kansas City! Our Canadian weather followed us! But the concert....it was incredible.Imanaged to hold it together through the entire concert, on a totalBilly high. Then was the finale. The Piano Man. I cried and cried, my husband lovingly took video of me blatting. So overwhelmed. It was fantanstic.

Finally, I have seen Billy Joel in concert, it really was a dream come true. I would love to see him again, but Icannot afford to travel accross the country/contenant to do it. So if Billy, or Billy's people read this post.......Harbour Station in Saint John New Brunswick is a fantastic venue....and I will be1st in line!