Billy Joel jumps on train for only UK performance this year

American singer Billy Joel opted against taking a plane or a private tour bus, unlike many other superstars, and instead travelled to his first performance in the Welsh city of Cardiff on a train.

The Cardiff Principality Stadium date on Friday marks his only European show in 2024.

On the same day of his performance, train company Great Western Railway (GWR) wrote on X that it took Joel to his gig, by referencing his 1983 Uptown Girl song and 1973 track Piano Man.

The post said: “It was a pleasure to take the ‘Piano Man’ @billyjoel Uptown to Cardiff today for his only gig in Europe. Get ready to be rocked Wales!”

It also featured an image of Joel, 75, posing with a ticket inspector.

It is not the first time that the five-time Grammy winning pianist and singer has been spotted on a train.

He has been seen at various points on-board the Long Island Rail Road service to get to his regular concerts at Madison Square Garden, which began in 2014 and saw him break the record for the most performances by a single artist at the venue in 2015.

Earlier this year, Joel said he “used to take a helicopter”, before having safety concerns in an interview with Newsday.

He added: “People will sometimes look at me on the railroad and think, ‘Look at this guy, trying to look like Billy Joel. He’s not kidding anybody’. It’s still a great way to go.”

Joel confirmed he had arrived on time for his show in Cardiff, with his Instagram account sharing an image of inside the venue.

Joel performed in the UK in 2023, at London’s Hyde Park to a 65,000-strong crowd, which was billed then as his only European appearance of that year.

He won his first two Grammy awards at the 21st annual awards ceremony for track Just The Way You Are from his album The Stranger, before collecting a further three in consecutive years.

Joel has also been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at various points during his lengthy career.