It may be five decades on from his rise to fame, but as Billy Joel took to the stage on Friday for his huge gig at Cardiff's Principality Stadium it was clearer than ever that the 'Piano Man' is still very much one of the best in the business. With more than a few nods to Wales's Green Green Grass of home (of which he treated the crowd to a rendition), the New Yorker had the Cardiff crowd eating out of the palm of his hand as he performed his first ever Welsh date during his mammoth 55-year career. With this his only European date of his current run of shows (and only his fifth UK gig in the last decade), the 75,000 strong crowd made the journey 'Uptown' - and in some cases across the continent - to catch a glimpse of the 75-year-old in action.
Read more: Girls Aloud Review: Cardiff sees emotional comeback gig as fans in tears Read More: In It Together crowd unites for poignant tribute to teen who died at festival And almost as soon as he appeared at the piano in a spotlight on the Principality stage, immediately it was worth the wait. Before even addressing the crowd he launched into Moving Out and Pressure, proving wannabe critics that his voice was as still as good as ever. After the high tempo start, as he shouted "It's been 55-years and I am finally playing Wales", the crowd were clearly ready to party.
Poking fun at his age with "I'm Billy's dad" he proved that age really is just a number as he became 'The Entertainer', rousing the pack once more with the 1974 hit - all.