Joel had played a tour in Europe prior to the tour in the Soviet Union, and was being interviewed during the day. While in Leningrad, Billy dove into the crowd during the performance of " The Longest Time." This was another way for him to show that he trusted the Russian people. He also crowd-surfed during his performances. To do so, he brought his daughter Alexa Ray Joel and his wife Christie Brinkley on tour with the band. Joel wanted the audience to feel comfortable, and most of all enjoy the show. They go to a concert to get that, to be in the dark and do their own thing." He later claimed that, "People like their privacy. He yelled, "Stop lighting the audience!" He then trashed his instruments, overturning his piano and breaking his mic stand. With each flick of the lights, the perfectionist Joel saw his hard earned connection fading away. This went on and on like a game of red light, green light, one-two-three. Then the lights would go out again and they'd resume dancing.
BILLY JOEL AND ELTON JOHN ALBUM COVER CRACK
The Soviet crowd, raised by decades of Iron Curtain austerity, stopped dancing and froze like deer in headlights when they were lit up, petrified that the security guards would crack down on them. While performing " Sometimes a Fantasy," the audience kept getting attention from spotlights, which angered Joel as he felt it was making it harder to connect with them: During the show Joel gave new meanings to songs such as " Honesty." Each time the song was performed, he dedicated the song to Vladimir Vysotsky because he was an inspirational Russian man who "spoke the truth." ĭuring the second of the three concerts performed in Moscow at the Olympic Sports Complex, Joel flipped his electric keyboard, and broke his microphone stand on his grand piano. Joel brought his family with him to show the Russians that he felt safe and trusted the Russian people. The tour of the Soviet Union consisted of six shows, three in Moscow and three in Leningrad. He was seen as a "nice, safe, first attempt at bringing in an American 'pop star.'" The concert Joel took advantage of this opportunity to be a musical ambassador. In 1986 Billy Joel was invited to perform in the Soviet Union the following year, 1987. 5 A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia.
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