Customer Reviews

2000 Years: Millennium Concert

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

With the noted exception of a disc of live recordings in his Box Set, Billy Joel hasn't released any live material since his Russian album from the 80s.

A second live CD from BJ is long overdue. He performed a fresh, lively concert, and the album is deliciously crisp. Fans will appreciate some musings on his future and career, and casual listeners can enjoy this insanely energetic 25-track compilation. Even though you may have wanted to be there, it's not a case of "you had to be there" to enjoy this release.

I've heard these songs before, over and over and over again, but there's an added vivacity here that makes this a worthwhile addition to my complete collection.

2000 YEARS: THE MILLENNIUM CONCERT brings out the best of the legendary Long Island-born rocker and balladeer. Billy Joel has always been at his finest in live performance, and his shows have gotten even better over the years. This double-CD set captures the vitality and broad musical mastery that characterizes Joel's shows, as well as a very special moment in time, the turn of the millennium. (The crowd's countdown to the year 2000 immediately follows the performance of the song "2000 Years.") Highlights include some choices in set selection that veer from the norm: "2000 Years," "Don't Ask Me Why," "Big Man on Mulberry Street," "This Night," and "I Go to Extremes," and also rollicking covers of "Dance to the Music" and "Honky Tonk Woman." What's missing? Well, "Piano Man," Joel's signature song, is a big omission. (It's not on the KOHUEPT recording either; the only live performance of "Piano Man" officially released by Columbia House is on the bonus fourth CD of THE COMPLETE HITS COLLECTION set.) Still, Joel provides a set of brilliant performances on 2000 YEARS: THE MILLENNIUM CONCERT. The performances are energetic and crisp, and the recording's sound and Joel's voice are both in excellent form. This is an absolutely essential set for Joel's fans, a magnificent final release (if it indeed turns out to be that) of Joel's rock 'n' roll career, and a outstanding way for new fans to start a Billy Joel collection.

If you've seen Joel live, you'll love this CD. All the classics are here and the sound is fantastic. You can hear the crowd singing along on several numbers which just adds to the overall "live" effect.

The biggest disappointment however is the omission of Joels' signature song "Piano Man". As most Joel fans can attest, this song played live is one massive sing-along. Not including it is sacrilige. If you want that one song live, you'll have to buy the Joel boxset, which might have been part of the reason.

With over 2 hours of hits such as My Life, Only the Good Die Young, and Scenes from an Italian Restaurant; this CD is a can't miss.

This is a fantastic album - buy it. Joel gets better with age, and his live versions of songs like My Life, Movin' Out, Billy the Kid, and 2000 years are phenominal (they are much better than the album versions of these songs). The cover of Honky Tonk Women is a real treat. I wish the record company hadn't cut Piano Man, And So it Goes, This is the Time, and Miami 2017 from the recording, but still I love the album - buy it!

The amazon.com review of the cds is totally off-base. For Joel fans, the commentary included on the album is precious. Furthermore, anyone who has seen Joel perform within the last years can tell that he clearly has not run out of steam.

It's hard to look at this as anything but additional product from an whose output in the decade has basically crawled to a standstill. One spotty original album (River of Dreams) and a couple of cover versions on Greatest Hits Vol. 3 do not a career make or sustain. Fortunately for Joel, he has a sturdy catalogue of songs to draw upon his (increasingly infrequent) live shows.

Technically, this is an excellent live album: very clean recording, and enough inter-song patter to lend a feeling of "that's what it was actually like" continuity. It's MUCH superior to the only other live live concert album in the discography, the flat and uninvolving Koheupt. (While Songs in the Attic consists of live performances, they were culled from a variety of venues and there was no real attempt to reproduce the feeling of a single show).

The set list is a fine one, with more of an emphasis on Joel's (superior but less commercially successful) early material than would have been expected. That's a nice plus for long-time fans. But, ultimately, there isn't much here that improves upon the studio versions. So, in the end, whether you need to get this will depend on how much you need to hear some--ANY--new Joel material. I found this more of a taunt: A reminder of both how very strong Joel's best-of really is, and of how long it's been since he's released anything that would rest comfortably beside these songs.

Here's hoping this is merely stopgap product and not the endcap to a sometimes stellar career.

dap

I was at the Billy Joel concert at Madison Square Garden on New Year's Eve, and I have to say it was an amazing show. Billy played a number of standard concert favorites as well as a number of songs he doesn't play very often. The show - being in New York on the most electrifying night in recent history - was magical... But that magic has not necessarily translated to a magical set of CDs...

Billy's voice is obviously not what it was 20 or 25 years ago. And while it was easy not to notice this during the concert, it comes through clearly on CD...

The spoken interludes were exremely well received during the live show - the liberal use of one specific profane word seemed to ignite the crowd each time it was used... But this banter does not come across as witty or funny on CD... While I love the spoken introductions of band members and songs - and think they absolutely belong on the discs, other spoken word seems inappropriate. (On a side note, the coolest non-musical thing Billy did during the concert was to have the fans vote as to whether to play "Vienna" or "Summer, Highland Falls" - and this was inexplicably left off the CD.)

In the end, I have thoroughly enjoyed the CDs, and have listened to them numerous times. They're a great set - certainly a must-have for any Billy Joel fan. It is a fun show - something you can hear in the crowd noise... And even though it was one of the best concerts he's done in years, it was by no means his best musical show - and unfortunately, it's the music that's captured on CD...

My guess is that the show would be 5-star on video, but it makes only a 3-star CD set.

As much as it pains me to say it this live cd is not a worthy billy joel release. In fact one wonders why it was released at all. Billy's voice is strained and is prone to over singing and the arrangements are overblown. From the sound of things Billy sounds like he was drunk or on medication. A lot of the running time is waisted with lengthy monologues with the audience. Why this was put on the CD is anyones guess but it just neans less songs!

However the good news is that this CD has now been blown away by his superb new 12 Gardens CD in which Billy is the Billy of old. The one who sung well and sung the songs straight as they were meant to be sung. 12 Gardens is crammed with 32 songs rather than the 26 on offer here and there's no timewaisting audience chat!!

BILLY HAS PREFORMED MANY GREAT CONCERTS IN HIS CAREER. WHEN ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO CAPTURE SOME OF HIS BEST ON DVD LIVE? I SAW HIM A FEW TIMES & HE ALWAYS SOUNDS GREAT. BILLY WE NEED SOME MEMORIES OF YOU FOR YEARS TO COME.

For those who wanted more than haust the oldies but goodies from "Songs In The Attic" and something more cohesive than "Kohuept", than "2000 Years: The Millenium Concert" is the essential Billy Joel live release. Okay, so it cuts several songs from the actual show's setlist, including "Piano Man". But still, they picked the best performances and you can't argue with what's here.

Disc 1 is my personal favorite. Billy comes alive right from those first opening chords of "Big Shot". Despite hitting the age of 50 by this point, the youthful energy that made songs like "Movin' Out", "My Life" and "Only The Good Die Young" such favorites is still highly evident. I actually enjoyed some of Billy's monologues, but was even happier that he dusted off such rarities as "Summer, Highland Falls", "The Ballad Of Billy The Kid" and one of my all - time favorites, "Don't Ask Me Why". The crowd enjoyed every minute of it, and rightfully so.

Disc 2 falters only slightly. Billy's version of "I Go To Extremes" was relatively weak, and since this is one of my all - time favorites, I was really disappointed. However, I developed a new appreciation for "Goodnight Saigon", which I never really liked before, while "River Of Dreams", "It's Still Rock 'N' Roll To Me", "We Didn't Start The Fire" and a raucous "You May Be Right" as well as the others are excellent. However, the real highlight is "Scenes From An Italian Restaraunt". This versions blows all other versions away. It's flawlessly performed. Joel's youth can still be heard as loud and clear as in 1978.

I highly recommend this album to everybody. Please, do yourself a huge favor and fork over 20 bucks for this masterpiece of 2 - disc live album. You won't be sorry.

As a person lucky and fortunate enough to be present at the concert itself, I was only too excited to hear that they were making a CD of it. As soon as it came out, I bought it. I gave it a listen and found it to be extremely enjoyable. It was only after I thought about it for a little while that I realized how much better it could have been. There are a total of 23 tracks on the two CDs, 21 songs (excluding Beethoven's Symphony and Auld Lang Syne), 19 of which are Billy's (excluding two on the second CD). Now I remember counting 29 or 30 songs that he actually played at the concert. Among the ones that I most enjoyed were "Miami 2017," "Famous Last Words," snd "You're My Home." Also left off were such classics as "Piano Man" "Pressure," and "Uptown Girl," not to mention 3 or 4 others. What I would have liked a lot would have been for there to be three CDs, comprising all the songs that he played at the concert. But I guess the record company didn't think that that would sell.

Some other notes: The combination of "2000 Years" and the countdown to the millenium was something that I will never forget; "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" was a great addition; Very often, Billy changed a little of the melody to avoid some high notes, most notably on "Only the Good Die Young."

Overall, this CD is a must buy for any type of Billy Joel fan.