Billy Joel is on his way back to Detroit: The piano-playing pop star will hit Ford Field on March 29, joined by Stevie Nicks in a show billed as "One Nightaajili, One Stage."
Tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. Oct. 4 through Ticketmaster. A presale for Citi cardholders will run from 10 a.m. Monday through 10 p.m. Oct. 3 via citientertainment.com.
The Live Nation-produced show was announced Thursday morning by Detroit Lions officials during a media event at the downtown stadium.
It will be the first Ford Field concert for Joel, whose five-decade touring career has included metro Detroit destinations such as Pine Knob Music Theatre, the Palace of Auburn Hills and Joe Louis Arena. In summer 2022, he headlined Comerica Park in a long-awaited, hit-stocked show delayed for two years by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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But the 75-year-old has been on the Lions’ turf once before: In 1994, he performed with Elton John at the Pontiac Silverdome, before the team’s move back downtown in 2002.
Thursday’s announcement follows the release of Joel’s first new single in nearly two decades, the retrospective ballad “Turn the Lights Back On.” It preceded the conclusion of his long-running hometown concert residency at New York’s Madison Square Garden this summer.
The Ford Field concert is among several Billy Joel shows announced nationally Thursday, with the others to feature Sting as guest. Joel’s Detroit show will land on a fitting date: March 29 — the 88th day of the year — is National Piano Day worldwide.
Joel is among the few artists these days to launch concert announcements with old-school press conferences, and Thursday’s event was a festive one, featuring Lions cheerleaders, mascot Roary and speakers including game commentator Dan Miller, Live Nation regional president Dave Clark and Detroit Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison.
As next year’s concert calendar continues coming together, Clark described the Joel-Nicks stadium date as “the biggest show of 2025 to be announced so far.”
(This story was updated to add a photo and video.)aajili