Billy Joel and Elton John are back together in the new year for the continuation of the pair’s magical “Face To Face” performances kicking off on Sunday, January 13th in Washington, DC at the MCI Center. Billy and Elton first toured the successful “Face To Face” tour in the United States in 1995 and again in 1996. The tour was extended to Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Europe in 1998. The 31-date “Face To Face” 2001 tour grossed $59 million.
Early sales for the Billy Joel/Elton John “Face To Face” 2002 tour of the American northeast immediately set box office records, selling out eleven shows in four cities with additional shows added at each location and new cities being added to the itinerary.
Billy Joel Opus 10 Fantasies & Delusions (Music For Solo Piano), the first album of Joel’s instrumental compositions, was released on October 2, 2001, debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Traditional Classical chart and has remained in the top slot for 14 weeks.
Billy Joel has had a staggering 33 Top 40 hits since he signed his first solo recording contract in 1972. He has received some 23 Grammy nominations – the most recent being this year’s nod in the Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals category for his duet with Tony Bennett on “New York State Of Mind” – and won five Grammy Awards including Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year for “Just the Way You Are”; Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male for the album 52nd Street; and Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male for the album Glass Houses. In 1990, he was presented with a Grammy Legend Award for his contributions and influence in the recording field. In 1992, Joel was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and, in 2001, was presented with the Johnny Mercer Award, the organization’s highest honor. In 1999 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and he received the Recording Industry Association of America Diamond Award for Greatest Hits Volume I and Volume II. The Diamond Award is presented for albums that have sold over 10 million copies, and with over 20 million albums sold, Joel’s album is the highest certified greatest hits album by a male artist.
Joel has been very active outside his music career, donating his time and resources to a variety of charitable causes. A longtime advocate for music education, he first began holding “master class” sessions on college campuses more than 20 years ago. “An Evening of Questions, Answers…and a Little Music” has developed over the years, with Joel giving sessions at colleges across the country and around the world. In addition, he has held classes as a benefit for the STAR Foundation (Standing for Truth About Radiation) and to establish the Rosalind Joel Scholarship for the Performing Arts at City College in New York City.
For his accomplishments as a musician and as a humanitarian, Billy Joel will be honored as the 2002 MusiCares Person Of The Year by the MusiCares Foundation and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences at a tribute dinner, concert and silent auction to be held Monday, February 25 in Los Angeles.
The monumental career of international singer/songwriter and performer Elton John has spanned more than three decades. One of the top-selling solo artists of all time, he has won countless awards including Grammys, Tonys and an Oscar with 35 gold and 24 platinum albums to his credit. Elton’s current CD, Songs From The West Coast, has been critically acclaimed and has just been nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Pop Album.” He has a second Grammy nomination for “Best Pop Male Vocal Performance” for the first single off the album “I Want Love.” The second single “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore” features a video starring Justin Timberlake as Elton John during the 70’s. Elton recently received the Radio Music Awards 2001 Legend Award. In 2000, he received the Grammy Legend Award and was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year by the MusiCares Foundation and the National Academy of Arts and Sciences.
For three decades, fans around the globe have been captivated by his charismatic showmanship, while friends treasure the unique brand of steadfast loyalty and constancy of purpose that earned him Knighthood in his native England in 1998.
Over the years, Elton’s success has not only been in his musical career. Sir Elton John founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992, raisingmillions for the cause with his own performances and other high-profile events featuring top entertainers. The non-profit Foundation, which funds HIV/AIDS prevention education and patient services, has contributed $30 million in grants worldwide. In addition, as of February 2002, Elton will act as a spokesperson for MAC Cosmetic’s Viva Glam IV Fundraising Lipstick and The MAC Aids Fund, benefiting people living with HIV/AIDS. His staunch support of the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation and his continued participation in the Rainforest Foundation’s annual benefit concert among others reflect his remarkable level of dedication and service.
Billy Joel And Elton John Face To Face Tour 2002
- 01/13/02 Washington, DC MCI Center
- 01/16/02 State College, PA Bryce Jordan Center
- 01/18/02 Washington, DC MCI Center
- 01/20/02 Washington, DC MCI Center
- 01/22/02 Boston, MA Fleet Center
- 01/24/02 Boston, MA Fleet Center
- 01/29/02 Boston, MA Fleet Center
- 01/31/02 Boston, MA Fleet Center
- 02/02/02 Boston, MA Fleet Center
- 02/04/02 Hartford, CT Hartford Civic Center
- 02/06/02 Hartford, CT Hartford Civic Center
- 02/08/02 Hartford, CT Hartford Civic Center
- 02/09/02 Hartford, CT Hartford Civic Center
- 02/13/02 Philadelphia, PA First Union Center
- 02/15/02 Philadelphia, PA First Union Center
- 02/17/02 Philadelphia, PA First Union Center
- 02/19/02 Philadelphia, PA First Union Center
- 02/22/02 Philadelphia, PA First Union Center
- 02/24/02 Philadelphia, PA First Union Center
