A magical celebration of Billy Joel's hits with the sublime Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Presented by: Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in association with Make My Mark
Reviewed: Date Month, 2025
Billy Joel’s career, spanning from the 1970s to the present, is nothing short of groundbreaking. He has released a staggering number of hits and best selling albums, and his music has stood the test of time, making it still relevant today. He is a master lyricist and knows how to write a melody that will stay with you for a long time. It was a rather incredible experience to hear his songs reimagined for orchestra. The layer and texture of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra elevated the classic rock hits that made up the set list to give them almost cinematic quality.
Piano Man – Celebrating the music of Billy Joel was a celebration of Billy Joel’s incredible catalogue of hits, which had the full house at the Adelaide Festival Theatre dancing in their seats. For those that grew up with Billy Joel’s music, it was a trip down memory lane, whilst at the same time introducing his music to a new audience base.
Piano Man features the vocal talents of four of Australia’s finest performers. Josh Piterman, Phil Burton, Alinta Chidzey and Jess Hitchcock. Piterman’s classical tone brought a warmer element to Billy Joel classics such as Viennaand a medley of She’s Always a Woman/She’s Got a Way, which was also a duet with Burton. Piterman’s voice perfectly blended with Burton, Chidzey and Hitchcock in the group numbers. Burton brought charm by the bucketloads. His warm, charismatic smile lit up the Festival Theatre. Vocally, Burton is perfectly suited to Billy Joel’s expansive catalogue, but standout numbers from Burton were Turn the Lights Back On (the newest Billy Joel song, released in 2024) and when he took the lead on the classic Piano Man.
Chidzey’s voice soared over hits such as New York State of Mind and You’re Only Human (Second Wind). Her pop voice brought a wonderful element to Billy Joel’s music. However, it was in numbers such as Just the Way You Are whereher voice pulled the audience right in, and her brilliant storytelling ability took over – such a mesmerising performance. Hitchcock is no stranger to Adelaide audiences having performed here many times, including in the 2024 Cabaret Festival. Hitchcock is a vocal chameleon, effortlessly moving between styles. Hitchcock commanded attention in ballads such as Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) and And So it Goes (where she also played the piano), but then let it rip in hits such as This Is The Time and My Life.
There is a reason why Vanessa Scammell is one of Australia’s most in-demand conductors and musical directors. She has the magical ability to get pop nuances from even the most classically trained musicians, hitting the right accents or phrasing for a particular melody. Scammell is mesmerising to watch. Her hands and baton weave a musical spell and the result is an aural feast of the most epic proportions. The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) poured their own magic into Billy Joel’s music. Each piece was expertly arranged by Nicholas Buc. Buc’s arrangements are exquisite. At times the ASO was used to highlight and emphasise melodic motifs of Billy Joel’s music, and other times they were there to add colour and texture. It is performances like Piano Man that reminds audiences how versatile the ASO is, and it opens the door to people who may have never seen or heard an orchestra play live.
The ASO were joined by a sensational rhythm section featuring the incredible Sam Leske on guitars, Nick Sinclair on Bass, Ben Todd on drums and one of Australia’s most in demand pianists, Jack Earle. These fine musicians laid down the foundation for this incredible night of music.
To elevate Piano Man to the rock status Billy Joel’s music deserves was an incredible lighting design by Peter Rubie and a spot-on audio mix. (Sadly the audio tech hasn’t been credited, but bravo!).
Whether you are a Billy Joel fan, a lover of rock/pop or love hearing our beloved ASO perform, this is a night of music that celebrates the legend that is Billy Joel and leaves you dancing your way back to the carpark.
There are limited tickets left to the final performance on Saturday 8th February – so grab your downtown friends and head uptown for a brilliant night of music.
Reviewed by Ben Stefanoff
Photo credit: Claudio Raschella
Venue: Adelaide Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: February 7 – 8
Duration: 2 hours (Includes one 20-minute interval)
Tickets: From $64.00
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/whats-on/piano-man-aso
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