A Certain Point of View, Too

Music Album Review: ‘Billy Joel – 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert’

—

by

Alex Diaz-Granados
in , , , ,

(C) 2000 Sony Legacy

Billy Joel – 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert

Label: Sony Legacy

Genre: Pop Rock

Year of Release: 2000

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Billy Joel’s 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert may not be his most polished live album, but it’s one of his most emotionally honest. Recorded on New Year’s Eve 1999 at Madison Square Garden, this two-disc set captures the celebratory chaos, musical breadth, and storytelling charm of a Joel concert in full swing. For longtime fans and newcomers alike, it’s a time capsule of a performer who’s always known how to turn a stage into a confessional, a party, and a history lesson—all at once.

Having seen Joel live twice (1990 and 2017), I can attest to the enduring magic of his performances. Yes, this album has its quirks—some studio edits, some transposed keys to accommodate his maturing voice—but it also has heart. The banter, the crowd energy, the occasional imperfection: they’re part of the experience. Joel isn’t just singing; he’s narrating his own legacy.

What makes this set special is its blend of familiar hits and lesser-known gems. “The Ballad of Billy the Kid,” “Summer Highland Falls,” and “I’ve Loved These Days” were revelations to me—songs I hadn’t fully appreciated until hearing them live. Classics like “Goodnight Saigon,” “New York State of Mind,” “My Life,” and “We Didn’t Start the Fire” are delivered with conviction, while covers of “Dance to the Music” and “Honky Tonk Women” add playful flair. Though “Piano Man” is notably absent, “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” and “2000 Years” offer emotional closure and thematic resonance.

This isn’t a pristine greatest-hits package, nor is it as tightly produced as Kohuept. But it’s a portrait of Joel at the turn of the millennium—reflective, celebratory, and still very much the piano man.

🎶 Track List – 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert

Disc One:

  1. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Intro)
  2. Big Shot
  3. Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
  4. Summer Highland Falls
  5. The Ballad of Billy the Kid
  6. Don’t Ask Me Why
  7. New York State of Mind
  8. I’ve Loved These Days
  9. My Life
  10. Allentown
  11. Prelude / Angry Young Man
  12. Only the Good Die Young

Disc Two: 13. I Go to Extremes
14. Goodnight Saigon
15. We Didn’t Start the Fire
16. Big Man on Mulberry Street
17. 2000 Years
18. Auld Lang Syne
19. River of Dreams
20. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
21. Dance to the Music (Sly Stone cover)
22. Honky Tonk Women (Rolling Stones cover)
23. It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
24. You May Be Right
25. This Night

Bonus track on European release:
26. This Is the Time (Live)