And...They're Gone. Billy Joel Sells Out Coliseum in Less Than 5 Minutes

In less time than it takes to sing “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” the Piano Man’s final concert at Nassau Coliseum sold out.

Tickets to the last performance at the current Nassau Coliseum, went on sale at 10 a.m. Friday and sold out in less than five minutes, officials said.

Joel, a Hicksville native and forever synonymous with Long Island, has played 31 shows at the Coliseum. The hometown rock star was a logical choice for the current Coliseum’s finale. He helped close another beloved venue when he took the stage with Sir Paul McCartney in 2008 for the last concert at Shea Stadium. Joel also did a practice run of sorts for his Madison Square Garden residency when he played nine consecutive sold out shows at the Coliseum in 1998.

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“Billy Joel closing Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it’s only fitting that this show is one of the quickest sellouts ever at the Coliseum,” said Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark in a statement. “We are honored to have Long Island’s favorite son play the final show before we begin to create a spectacular venue that the community deserves.”

The arena is set to reopen in December 2016.

If you missed out on tickets, you can get a glimpse of one of his Coliseum shows here:

The concert was announced April 24 as the famed venue began tying up loose ends in preparation for its closure. Around 40 full-time and 2,500 part-time employees reportedly received their termination letters, effective this summer, according to Newsday.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons

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