Put yourself in the shoes of the hundreds of people who made a trip to the intimate Paramount in Huntington, New York, Friday night to see Billy Joel cover band Big Shot. You’re grooving and stammering along to “Movin’ Out” — heart attack ackackackackack — with a beer in hand, reveling in the ambiance with your fellow Joel enthusiasts. But all of a sudden, a bald man walks onto the stage and commandeers the piano. That’s not an average bald man, you think, that’s Billy fucking Joel. That’s exactly what went down at the Paramount last night, where the singer-songwriter unexpectedly made an appearance and performed a three-song set along with the band. (Rolling Stone notes, though, that Big Shot isn’t your average cover band: consisting of guitarist/singer Mike DelGuidice, guitarist Tommy Byrnes, and drummer Chuck Burgi, all three are steady members of Joel’s touring unit, and currently serve as his backing band.)
The quartet performed Joe Cocker’s version of the Beatles’ “With a Little Help From My Friends,” the Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women,” and Joel’s original “You May Be Right” interwoven with Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.” Not a bad gig, eh?