Well over a year after announcing he had the brain disorder normal pressure hydrocephalus and was taking an indefinite leave of absence from the road, Billy Joel has given an detailed update on his recovery, and explained why he has yet to book any concerts. They don’t want me to stress too much.” Joel last played a full show February 22, 2025, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Near the very end of the set, he fell down while performing “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me.” He played it off as a joke, but it was actually a result of NPH.
Three months later, he went public with the diagnosis, and canceled all of his shows. It’s hard to tell what’s age and what’s a condition, so I agreed to do the shunt and I had a surgery, and they implanted a shunt in my brain and it actually improved things. My memory got better, my balance got a little better, my ability to function was better.” His sole live performance since going public with his diagnosis took place January 2 when he made the impromptu decision to get onstage with the Billy Joel tribute band Turnstiles at a show in Wellington, Florida.
He joined them on “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “Big Shot.” Trending Stories Bruce Springsteen on His New Concert Film: ‘Our Purpose Was to Reclaim the Flag’ Jon Stewart Takes Aim at Trump’s ‘Relentless Denial of Reality’ Lil Durk Closings: Prosecutors Hammer ‘Revenge,’ Defense Cites ‘Tsunami of Reasonable Doubt’ The Tallest Man on Earth Rediscovers His Heritage on a Cathartic New Album Two months later, he sat in the audience at a Carnegie Hall tribute show in his honor and watched artists like Rob Thomas, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Rufus Wainwright perform his music, backed by his longtime touring band. But he didn’t venture onto the stage himself. At this point, it’s unclear if he’ll ever feel capable of playing concerts.
But he doesn’t want his fans to worry.
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