Piano Man enraptures Penn fans

One student not only brought his mother to the concert, but shouted over dozens of other students to voice his plea: that Billy Joel give his mother a hug.

Joel not only assented, but proceeded to squeeze her rear end, middle school dance-style.

Last night's three and a half-hour question-and-answer session was a tribute to Penn students' love affair with Joel -- and many told him so, prefacing their often off-the-wall questions with statements of devotion.

"I grew up on you and I'll never forget you," one student said to Joel. "You're a legend in my eyes."

Some arrived in line more than two hours before the concert began just to score seats near the stage. They showered Joel with applause and standing ovations after favorite songs, and in between frantically waved their hands to get the legend's attention.

And College senior Jesse Rubenfeld went even further, writing a song for Joel and then taking the Piano Man's seat on stage to perform it.

"It was the biggest thrill of my life," Rubenfeld said of his performance, which he planned as soon as he learned of the event. "I started writing the piece before I even knew Billy Joel was coming to Penn... I was nervous about not getting picked. This was my only chance to play for him."

But while the audience gave Rubenfeld, like Joel, a standing ovation, some students said they were annoyed by audience members who asked what seemed to be self-interested questions, instead of legitimate inquiries about Joel's career.

"Even though he specifically said he didn't want it to be a request concert, they still asked for requests, and that was pretty rude," Wharton senior Sophia Li said. "I felt like when he got to choose what he wanted to do, that was the best part."

But most students said they enjoyed the show regardless. The vivacious Joel's manic stage presence kept students entertained, though some said the musical performance was what really attracted them.

Several said that the showman's music holds nostalgic significance for them, as it often provided the soundtrack for childhood car rides and the sheet music for high school choir performances. For some students, Joel is one of the only musical artists enjoyed both by them and by their parents.

"When I was really small, I can't even remember how old, I used to play the old record 'For the Longest Time,'" Wharton and Engineering sophomore Jeff Katrencik said. "I used to play that all the time. My mom got sick of hearing it. And ever since then I've liked him."

Because fans were so familiar with Joel's pop albums, some were less interested in the instrumental music from his new album, Fantasies and Delusions. But regardless, Joel and pianist Richard Joo interspersed selections from the newest release throughout the performance.

"Although it may have been beautiful, I wanted to listen to Billy Joel classics," Wharton senior Adam Tsekhman said. "I think they were well done but I'm not a classical music fan."

But overall, students said they thought the concert was worthwhile -- and that Joel's enthusiasm was both exciting and contagious.

"I was a little surprised by his personality and his humor," Tsekhman said. "It was unexpected. I'm impressed and shocked that he was on stage for three and a half hours, and I'm flattered on behalf of Penn."

And many students thought that, in light of current events, Joel's appearance was especially meaningful. One of the loudest rounds of applause of the evening was for the song "New York State of Mind." Students also asked Joel about the song "Miami 2017," which alludes to the fictitious fall of New York, and whether he had written any songs in reaction to the events of Sept. 11.

Some said they appreciated that he was willing to perform at all, current events considered.

"It's great to have such a well-known artist come to our cam

pus," College junior Jessica Bonder said. "I just think artists in general now are more aware of places where there are large crowds. They might not want to do something like this."

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