Billy Joel and Rod Stewart, two iconic rock ‘n’ roll artists who both were honored with Hall-of-Famer status by being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall-of-Fame, will perform Sept 13 at Browns Stadium, performing hits from their illustrious careers and selling tickets starting Feb 2st. A news conference was held Thursday to make this announcement at Browns Stadium and was attended by mayor Justin Bibb, partner Whitney Haslam Johnson from Haslam Sports Group, Destination Cleveland President David Gilbert from Destination Cleveland President David Gilbert of Destination Cleveland President David Gilbert as well as Live Nation Senior Vice President Marketing Sales Barry Gabel from Live Nation as well as Rock and Roll Hall-of Fame President Greg Harris from Live Nation and Rock and Roll Hall-of Fame President Greg Harris.
This year, The Piano Man seems intent on co-headlining concerts alongside fellow Hall-of-Famers such as Stevie Nicks at AT&T Stadium in Texas and Soldier Field in Chicago; additionally he’ll play shows with Sting at both Alamodome San Antonio on Oct 25 and Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas later on this year.
Both Joel and Stewart will release new music this year. On February 1, Joel will debut “Turn the Lights Back On,” his first original song since 1996. Stewart is set to release Swing Fever – his comeback to big band music – on February 23.
The duo has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and both members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as solo artists. Additionally, both of their Greatest Hits Vol 1& 2 albums and The Stranger earned diamond certification from RIAA, plus Movin Out was honored with gold certification. They’ve also both been honored with Songwriters Hall of Fame recognition as well as receiving the Johnny Mercer Award from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.
Joel has established an acclaimed music franchise by hosting monthly performances at Madison Square Garden. He holds six best-selling artist status in music and has received multiple awards – six Grammys as well as the esteemed Grammy Legend Award.
Gabel, Senior VP of Marketing and Sponsorship Sales for Live Nation, says the process of bringing major concerts to Cleveland can be like solving a giant puzzle. Gabel noted several variables at play when selecting an act, such as available dates, venue space, expenses associated with hosting the show, the artist’s history with Cleveland and history between both acts as well as local residents’ preferences for performance venues and musicians such as Joel Stewart that only perform occasional shows here in Cleveland. He stated that acts like Taylor Swift are “unicorns in terms of touring abilities”, while acts such as Swift can perform almost anywhere they choose without stopping in Cleveland or making stops in between tours whereas musicians such as Joel Stewart don’t stop in every city on their tour stop!
Gabel was delighted to share that this tour would draw a massive crowd to Browns Stadium on Sept. 13. He anticipated tickets selling quickly. Gabel believes that energy at the concert will be electric, making this a highlight event in Cleveland.