Billy Joel/Osaka, Japan 1995

“RIVER OF DREAMS”, which is Billy’s last rock album to date, was released in August 1993, and he was eager to perform in Japan immediately after that. However, during the tour promoting the same album, a joint tour with Elton John called “FACE TO FACE” started, and it was so popular that Billy’s own tour was postponed, and he finally performed in Japan. This was realized in January 1995, almost a year and a half after the album’s release. However, this performance in Japan unexpectedly became an unforgettable one in the history of Billy’s visit to Japan. That’s because the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred in the middle of their tour to Japan, and Billy himself encountered disasters that occur periodically in Japan. Billy and his group, who had already completed the first half of Tokyo and Fukuoka performances, were staying in Osaka on January 17th, when the earthquake occurred, and were caught up in the earthquake. He was so frightened that he later testified that he was prepared to die. The damage caused by the earthquake in the Kansai region was so severe that at one point they seriously considered not only the first day of the Osaka performance scheduled for that day, but also canceling the tour and returning home. However, rather than returning home, Billy decided to continue the tour, and even transferred this day’s performance to the 19th and completed the scheduled Japan performance. Under such circumstances, the live performance at Osaka Castle Hall was held on the following day, the 18th. Billy addressed the fans who had gathered despite the shock of the earthquake that occurred early in the morning the day before (of course, there were many who would not have been able to come, and there were some empty seats). gave a heartfelt comment. Of course, the message that was conveyed in Japanese through an interpreter was as follows. “I would like to express my deepest sympathies for the damage caused by the earthquake.It was fortunate that everyone involved in our tour was safe in the earthquake, but we are currently dealing with the loss of loved ones due to injuries and accidents.” We feel deep sadness for the people who lost their lives in the disaster.We hope to share this experience and help the victims of the disaster in Kansai.The performance scheduled for yesterday has been postponed. However, if you would like to come see us, we would be happy to perform, so we have rescheduled yesterday’s performance to tomorrow, making this concert a meaningful one to both comfort and encourage you. The show started after a heartfelt message from Billy, but I was overwhelmed by the power of the first three songs. The “RIVER OF DREAMS” tour is blessed with video relations, and among them there is the classic Frankfurt performance of the previous year. However, the ferocity of the hard “No Man’s Land” that is played at the opening and where Billy screams while playing the guitar, and the performance of Frankfurt, are not even close to their feet. In addition, “Honesty”, which is extremely popular in Japan, is a wonderful performance that will move you with its heartfelt and passionate singing. You can imagine that the audience that gathered on that day was overwhelmed with emotion as they sang this masterpiece, which has maintained Billy’s status in Japan to this day, with a heartfelt cry. The audience recording that firmly captures such an atmosphere is the first DAT sound source to appear this time, and it boasts a clearness that lightly blows away items that were released in the past that recorded live performances on the same day. In addition to that, the sound image that gives a sense of depth also conveys the sincere atmosphere of this day, which is also a big attraction. As for the show, a relaxed atmosphere was born from around “I Go To Extremes”, and even if it was only for a short time, the live venue in the earthquake-damaged city has changed to the point where laughter spills out. That may be said to be the real intention of Billy performing this day’s live. From there, when it comes to the furious selection of songs, it is impressive that the excitement is no different from a normal live show. It is a high-quality sound source that captures such a passionate performance, and it is a historic live performance. Just like Led Zeppelin, who performed a concert after donating to Hiroshima, this performance by an artist who showed sincere support for Japan will be reevaluated as a masterpiece and will be released on CD. Enjoy this historic live performance to your heart’s content! Live at Osaka-Jo Hall, Osaka, Japan 18th January 1995 PERFECT SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1 (68:04) 1. Introduction 2. Message for the victims of Kobe Earthquake 3. No Man’s Land 4. Pressure 5. Honesty 6. Prelude / Angry Young Man 7. Allentown 8. Band Introduction #1 9. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant 10. My Life 11. Band Introduction #2 12. I Go To Extremes 13. Shades Of Gray 14. Goodnight Saigon 15. Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel) Disc 2 (44:19) 1. The River Of Dreams 2. Band Introduction #3 3. We Didn’t Start The Fire 4. A Hard Day’s Night 5. It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me 6 You May Be Right 7. Only The Good Die Young 8. Big Shot 9. Piano Man Billy Joel – Vocal, Piano Marc Rivera – Saxophone Tommy Burns – Guitar Dave Rosenthal – Keyboards T-Bone Wolk – Bass Liberty DeVitto – Drums