Marking what Billy Joel said was his first concert in Jacksonville since 1978, his sold-out show in the Jacksonville Arena was a great performance. Unlike the crowd in Ft. Lauderdale (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-19billyjoel,0,2126709.story?coll=sfla-entertainment-headlines) the Jacksonville crowd seemed to love the entire show and didn't seem to find it "obscure."

The show opened with Angry Young Man, My Life, Everybody Loves You Now, and New York State of Mind.

Some changes did occur between Ft. Lauderdale and Jacksonville - he left out "Laura" from "The Nylon Curtain," "Big Man on Mulberry Street" and "Where's the Orchestra?" At least "Laura" and "Where's the Orchestra" would have been appreciated here as would Vienna. :-) Likewise the sets were re-ordered, perhaps to aid the flow of the show.

During the show he commented on the changes in Jacksonville - from the disappearance of the paper mill (much better smell now getting off a plane) to the Jaguars to the Arena to the Baseball Stadium. The sincerity (or flattery) was a great opener.

Having seen Billy Joel in Miami the evening the news broke about his marriage to Christie Brinkley and the shows afterward, this show was more entertaining. It certainly compares favorably to his shows with Elton John, which were good shows, and tough to follow.

After New York State of Mind he went into Stiletto, Zanzibar (with the line about Rose being a credit to the game being changed to "Rose knows he'll never make the hall of fame"), and then Allentown. This compares with Ft. Lauderdale where he reportedly opened with Piano Man, Allentown, and New York State of Mind.

Then followed The Great Wall of China (about his previous agent who "screwed him"), Sometimes a Fantasy (excellent live) and Sleeping With The Television On (both from Glass Houses).

Goodnight Saigon and Moving Out followed ("This next song was even a show"). Innocent Man, Lullaby ("Good Night, My Angel"), Keeping The Faith, I Go To Extremes, We Didn't Start the Fire, Big Shot , It's Still Rock and Roll to Me, and You May Be Right finished the main show.

The encore included: River of Dreams, Only the Good Die Young, Scenes from An Italian Restaurant and finally, of course, Piano Man.

All in all, an impressive group of songs and a very lively, engaging performance where he entertained everyone in all locations of the arena.

Out of the songs played, only Great Wall and Sleeping were less commonly known, and even they were known to many fans although he termed them"obscure" perhaps reacting to the review of the Ft. Lauderdale show.

All in all, Billy Joel put on a great show in Jacksonville and the fans loved it. Hopefully the next stop won't be as long in coming. You have a great fan base here and the show tonight was fantastic, so ignore the critics, you know your audience.

January 10, 2006, 11:22pm.