For the second time in five years, the Piano Man is coming to Penn.
Legendary singer and songwriter Billy Joel is set to arrive at the University on Nov. 6 to speak, answer questions and perform some of his greatest hits at Irvine Auditorium.
Joel will perform an interactive show called "Questions, Answers and A Little Music," a performance similar to the one he gave at Penn in April of 1996. He will be accompanied by classical pianist Richard Joo, who will perform selections from Joel's recent classical release, Fantasies and Delusions.
The concert, part of Joel's fall college tour, will also be taped for broadcast on the A&E; cable channel later that month.
Tickets will cost $5 for all PennCard holders and will be distributed through an online lottery which begins Thursday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. and runs through Sunday, Oct. 28.
The event will be sponsored by the Provost's Spotlight Series and Connaissance, part of the Social Planning and Events Committee. It will be the second major event hosted by Connaissance this fall, coming just two weeks after tomorrow's lecture from actor and politician Ben Stein.
Connaissance Co-Director Samantha Cohen, a College senior, said that while initial contact with Joel's representatives was made over the summer, the performance was not finalized until two weeks ago.
"We were were approached at the end of the summer," Cohen said. "We were informed that Billy Joel was going on a college speaking tour and that he wanted to stop in Philadelphia."
Joel will also be stopping at Princeton, New York, Northwestern, Georgetown and Tufts universities.
Although Tufts has reportedly paid in excess of $35,000, Cohen said that it will cost Penn "significantly less than that" to bring the legendary singer to campus. Cohen declined to specify the cost for Penn.
"He really wanted to be in Philadelphia," she said. "We wanted to make it extremely cheap for students."
Joel's performance was well-received in 1996, and he extended his show for over an hour to allow for more student questions and requests. Next month, he is scheduled to go on stage at 7:30 p.m. and perform for two and a half hours.
During his illustrious career, Joel has earned 22 Grammy nominations and has won five Grammy awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001.
Despite Joel's recent appearance at Penn, Cohen said there were no concerns about bringing him back to campus for another performance.
"There was tremendous response and excitement about his last visit," she said. "There are all new undergraduates now who did not see him the first time."
Cohen said that she expects security for the event to be similar to previous high profile Connaissance events, such as Benjamin Netanyahu and Madeleine Albright.
"Higher level administration and Public Safety officials know that he is coming, and there will be a security presence," Cohen said. "We're not worried about security."
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