Song of the Day 1/4: Billy Joel, “Big Shot”

I could dedicate this song to Trump, but the real reason for setting aside my aversion to Billy Joel is that he sang in public Friday for the first time since May, when he announced he had a brain condition that ruled out performing and cancelled all future concerts.

Joel, who owns a home in Wellington, Fla., joined a Billy Joel tribute band, Turnstiles, there to perform two songs. On the first, “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” he needed a little help remembering the lyrics; memory loss is one of the symptoms of his condition, normal pressure hydrocephalus. It’s rare in younger people, but affects more than 5% of people over 80. Joel is 76. “I feel fine,” he told the audience, and noted that calling it a brain condition makes it sound worse than it feels. “My balance sucks. It’s like being on a boat.” He used a cane when he took the stage.

For their second number, Joel and the band decided on “Big Shot,” a No. 14 hit from his 1978 album “52nd Street.” This video gives an idea of what one critic called the “stage-crossing, piano-hopping, chest-thumping” antics he used to perform on the song. As you can see at the link above, those days are over. He looks a bit frail, certainly not up to giving a full concert. But good on him for giving a tribute band what must have been the thrill of a lifetime.