12 Gardens (2006)


 

Disc One
  1. Angry Young Man
  2. My Life
  3. Everybody Loves You Now
  4. The Ballad of Billy the Kid
  5. The Entertainer
  6. Vienna
  7. New York State of Mind
  8. The Night is Still Young
  9. Zanzibar
  10.Miami 2017 (I've Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
  11.The Great Wall of China
  12.Allentown
  13.She's Right on Time
  14.Don't Ask Me Why
  15.Laura
  16.A Room of Our Own
  
Disc Two
  1. Goodnight Saigon
  2. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
  3. An Innocent Man
  4. The Downeaster "Alexa"
  5. She's Always a Woman
  6. Keeping the Faith
  7. The River of Dreams
  8. A Matter of Trust
  9. We Didn't Start the Fire
  10.Big Shot
  11.You May Be Right
  12.Only the Good Die Young
  13.Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
  14.Piano Man
  15.And So it Goes
  16.It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
  
 *Bonus ITunes Tracks*
   1.Honesty
   2.Stiletto

 

There have been live albums, and there have been Billy Joel live albums. Some have been oddities—part travelogue, part misfire (hello, Leningrad),or the patchy 2000 Years celebration that have struggled to capture the real essence of Joel on stage. But 12 Gardens Live finally nails it.

Recorded during a historic residency at Madison Square Garden—a dozen shows in the space of a few months, all packed, all performed thirteen years after Joel officially hung up his recording hat—this double album offers something rare in the realm of live retrospectives: a true sense of occasion.

What distinguishes 12 Gardens Live isn’t any grand production trick or narrative concept—it’s the honesty of the performance. Joel is not trying to reinvent himself, nor is he peddling obscurities to baffled audiences. Instead, this is the essence of what he’s always done best: delivering hits, rarities, and fan-service gems with commitment and charm.

The track selection is as close to a definitive Joel setlist as one might reasonably expect. The obvious songs are here—Piano Man, Only the Good Die Young, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant—but so are unexpected delights: deep cuts that rarely escape the studio, polished here with the energy of an artist who still seems to relish his time in the spotlight. And he sounds magnificent. Any doubts about his vocal longevity are instantly dispelled by note-perfect renditions across a challenging range of material.

Unlike earlier live releases, there’s little filler here. Banter between songs has been stripped away—no anecdotes about bottle caps or real estate or the Bronx. And while some purists may lament the absence of stage chatter, the trade-off is more music, better flow, and a tighter record overall. This is a musical document, not a spoken memoir.

Joel’s band, well-seasoned and reliable, never overshadows but always supports. The arrangements remain mostly faithful, but with enough live edge to feel vibrant rather than nostalgic. There’s no attempt to modernize or reimagine. These songs simply are, and that's more than enough.

As for the modern trappings of the release—iTunes exclusives and digital-only content—they sadly echo a music industry still trying to find its footing in the digital age. Two bonus tracks available only to full-album iTunes buyers? It smacks of marketing over music, and leaves fans who purchased the physical set feeling cheated. A familiar tale in an era when labels seem more interested in selling the same music to the same audience twice.

Still, none of that undermines the central achievement of 12 Gardens Live. At last, we have a Billy Joel live album that captures the artist, the songs, and the atmosphere in full harmony. It may have taken decades to get it right, but this one was worth the wait.

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