CBS Commits Crime of Century by Cutting Feed to Billy Joel's 'Piano Man' in the Middle of the Performance

Sunday night will go down in history as the day that music died (sorry Don McLean) when CBS cut the feed to their coverage of Billy Joel's concert at Madison Square Garden during one of his most iconic songs, "Piano Man." Halfway through his hit masterpiece, millions of viewers across the world saw their screens go black, and some had their local news come on. Joel was performing the 100th concert of his residency at the Garden in New York City when the feed was cut due to the network's earlier coverage of the PGA's Masters Tournament that ran long.

Joel, 74, is one of the most successful solo pianists and singer-songwriters in the world, ranking 4th in the United States. Joel started his professional music career in the late '60s but came to fame in the early '70s, with his smash hit "Piano Man" being released in 1973. He has released over 12 albums as a solo artist and has over 80 singles that he wrote and produced so far in his career. Joel is also known for his live performances where he purposefully leaves the front row of seats at all his concert venues unsold so he can fill them with people he considers his biggest fans -- those sitting in the nosebleed seats. Joel is also known for having discussions during his appearances with fans in the audience. During a show at Vanderbilt University in 2013, he brought a fan up on stage after he asked Joel if he could perform one of Joel's songs with him.

Needless to say, the millions of people watching were slightly perturbed to see Billy Joel cut off in the middle of singling "Piano Man." The reactions on social media were not shy about their displeasure to see one of America's national treasures treated in such a fashion. The general consensus from the viewers was not good, with absolutely no mercy shown to CBS for their heinous act.

Warning: profanity in some of the tweets.

Hey @CBS wtf is this?! You cut off @billyjoel during Pianoman of all songs?! And then didn’t come back to it?!?! Now wonder network TV is a mess.
Not ballin, not ballin at all. pic.twitter.com/QBBxLZOABO
— Gunz (@TheGunzShow) April 15, 2024

Billy Joel concert getting cut-off by CBS reminds me of the time we listened to music on 8-Track Players.
— allnet (@whoopiepie10) April 15, 2024

The network is taking heat not from just the average viewer; local network news anchors and sportscasters also jumped into the fray.

We Turned the Lights Back On too soon.

As a man who grew up right next to Billy Joel's hometown, who went to The Last Play at Shea, it was my duty to apologize to everyone about cutting off our telecast of Billy Joel tonight.

(Not to get into the weeds, but there was a special… pic.twitter.com/LPJSFrq46O
— Evan Closky (@ECloskyWTSP) April 15, 2024

I apologize to the people who were enjoying Billy Joel singing on TV then all of a sudden had to see my face. I’d have picked Billy Joel over me, too. I’m not even the Rex Smith who is the famous singer/actor ☹️
— Rex Smith (@Rex__Smith) April 15, 2024

I have a bias here, as I grew up listening to a wide range of music courtesy of my late father. We listened to bands like Boston, Led Zeppelin, Chicago, and more in the classic rock genre, as well as crooners like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. But Billy Joel was a staple in my household growing up, and it still is. His music and songs speak to me at times and bring me back to memories I had with my dad before he died of ALS in 2009.

Listening to Billy Joel sing and even seeing him perform and sing live is something that cannot be replicated nor understated. A few years back, I had the pleasure of seeing him live at the Hollywood Bowl with my wife, along with my mother-in-law and late father-in-law. It was truly a sight to see, so CBS has some serious explaining to do as to why they'd let such a legendary song being performed by its legendary creator get cut off.