Billy Joel has played to sold-out crowds in several Major League stadiums over the years, and this summer, he'll add another venue to his list -- PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
The Pirates and Live Nation announced Thursday that the legendary singer will perform at the Pirates' glistening downtown stadium on Friday, July 1. The announcement was made one day after Joel announced he would play May 15 at Petco Park in San Diego, and minutes after he revealed a Wrigley Field date in Chicago set for Aug. 26.
"I think it's really an honor for Pittsburgh because Billy Joel is doing just a few special select cities, baseball places, along with Wrigley Field and Fenway Park," said Allegheny County executive Rich Fitzgerald.
Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto was also on hand for the announcement, and he declared Jan. 14, 2016, "Billy Joel Day" in Pittsburgh.
American Express Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Monday at 10 a.m. ET through Thursday, Jan. 21, at 10 p.m. ET. Tickets are available for all at 10 a.m. ET on Jan. 22.
The upcoming show will continue Joel's long-standing penchant for playing at sports venues. It began in earnest in June 1990, when his Storm Front tour played Yankee Stadium in his birthplace, the Bronx. Joel also famously had the "last play" at Shea Stadium in 2008, playing two sold-out concerts in July to commemorate the Mets' final season in that Queen ballpark.
The concerts were featured in "The Last Play at Shea," a 2010 documentary, and included guest appearances by Tony Bennett, Don Henley, John Mayer, John Mellencamp, Steven Tyler, Roger Daltrey, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney.
In 2014, Joel played to capacity crowds at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C, Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Wrigley Field and Fenway Park in Boston. Last summer, he again visited Fenway Park, Citizens Bank Park and Wrigley Field, and added a show at AT&T Park in San Francisco.
Joel also sang the national anthem at Citi Field in Queens prior to Game 3 of the 2015 World Series between the Mets and Royals.
"I still get psyched when I'm going to a professional ballgame, whether I'm singing or not," Joel said after the performance. "I'm honored they ask me to do these things, the national anthem, playing at [New York City's Madison Square] Garden all the time. I've had an incredible life. I'm not ready to leave, yet, though."
Joel's first Mets anthem performance occurred in 1986, when he had just released his album "The Bridge." In 2000, his Fall Classic performance at Yankee Stadium prior to Game 1 of the Subway Series between the Yankees and Mets concluded with a bald eagle flying in from center field.
In December 2013, Joel became Madison Square Garden's first music franchise, joining the ranks of the storied venue's other original franchises, the New York Knicks, Rangers and Liberty. Since January 2014, Joel has played one show per month at the Garden as part of the Time Warner Cable Concert Series. This unprecedented and wildly successful residency has led to 30 sold-out shows through June of this year.