2024 has delivered some weird and wonderful matchups – from to trading fiery licks. Now it has seen the return of another unlikely duo: Billy Joel and Axl Rose. The pair performed together back in 2017, taking on AC/DC’s peerless driving anthem , and last night (July 25) they did it again at Madison Square Garden.
Mr. Joel even donned a for the occasion. The combination of and a barely overdriven, possibly chorus-tinted doesn’t exactly match up to Angus Young’s iconic SG through a Marshall stack combination – and it would be hard to imagine Bon Scott or Brian Johnson in the sparkly blazer Axl Rose wore for the performance – but it’s great entertainment.
It was the final night of the US leg of the Piano Man’s current world tour, and Joel looked to bow out in style. Granted, Axl Rose arguably sounded better when he performed with the band proper in 2016 when he was a surprising – and impressive – , who was suffering from hearing difficulties. The song was preceded by another cover, a take on Paul McCartney’s Bond theme , which Guns N’ Roses famously reimagined on .
Joel was back behind the keys for that track, but it’s the slightly parallel universe vibes of their cover, which, going off the video footage, definitely got butts off seats, that will live longest in the memory. “Who knew Billy could play guitar?” quipped one commenter on YouTube. However, it must be noted that Joel stuck strictly to rhythm duties, with touring guitarist Tommy Byrnes h.