It's a Cleveland State of Mind for Billy Joel, as the legendary musician is set to join Rod Stewart for a concert at the Cleveland Browns Stadium later this year.
The Sept. 13 concert was announced Thursday at a press conference at the stadium by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb. The concert at Browns Stadium will be a long football pass away from the Rock Hall where Joel was inducted in 1999 and Stewart was added as a solo artist in 1994 and again as a member of Faces in 2012.
Whitney Haslam Johnson — of the Cleveland Browns' owners, the Haslam Sports Group — said the concert is just one more way to bring fans into the stadium outside of a Browns game. "This concert is very important and will have a big impact for us," she said.
And for music fans, Greg Harris, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, said the concert will be a big show as it is the first time Joel and Stewart have performed together in concert. "These are two of the best-selling artists in the world and they are coming to Cleveland," he said.
Barry Gabel, senior vice president of marketing and sponsorship sales at Live Nation, said the logistics for the layout of the concert are still being worked out, but he anticipates around 40,000 tickets being available for the show. "The tickets will explode out of here," he said.
The Cleveland stop is part of a big stadium tour for Joel who has a new song (his first in 17 years) "Turn the Lights Back On" coming out in February.
The five-time Grammy winner and recipient of a Grammy Legend Award teases his new material in a social media post showing him turning the page on the lyrics to his 1993 song “Famous Last Words,” which includes the refrain "These are the last words I have to say." The snippet of "Turn the Lights Back On" opens with melancholy piano chords before fading out.
A few days after the song's release, Joel will also perform at the Grammy Awards, which air live on CBS Feb. 4.
Billy Joel will perform with Stevie Nicks at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on March 9 and Soldier Field in Chicago on June 21.
He is also performing with Sting at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Feb. 24, Petco Park in San Diego April 13, Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Sept. 27, the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Oct. 25 and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Nov. 9.
Aside from his standing solo gigs at Madison Square Garden, Joel is also planning concerts − sans a big co-headliner − this year at T Mobile Park in Seattle and Coors Field in Denver.
Tickets for the Billy Joel and Rod Stewart concert will officially go on sale starting at 10 a.m. Feb. 2 with a presale for Citi card members at 10 a.m. Jan. 29.
To purchase tickets or for more information about the concert, visit livenation.com.
There are also plans being worked out to offer presale tickets through the Browns and the Rock Hall.
Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY
Billy Joelwill perform at Grammy Awards after releasing first new music in decades