They experienced been waiting around for the longest time.
For the duration of a televised Billy Joel live performance on Sunday night time, enraged lovers slammed CBS for reducing it off in the center of a single of the hitmaker’s most well-known tracks.
CBS was broadcasting the 100th live performance of Joel’s residency at Madison Square Backyard garden.
It was somewhat delayed thanks to the network’s coverage of golf’s Masters Event, which triggered the snafu afterwards.
Towards the conclusion of the display, as Joel, 74, carried out his 1973 hit “Piano Gentleman,” with the MSG audience singing alongside. In quite a few towns, viewers observed their screens slash to black, adopted by regional news.
“Hey @CBS wtf is this?! You reduce off @billyjoel during Pianoman of all tracks?! And then didn’t appear back to it?!?! Now surprise community Television set is a mess. Not ballin, not ballin at all,” 1 supporter posted on X, formerly Twitter.
A further lover slammed the community, “You couldn’t deliver a worse merchandise than CBS just did on the Billy Joel distinctive. Way as well a lot of commercials, did not participate in some of his greatest music, went extremely out of get in his established record, and then cuts absent to the neighborhood news in the center of Piano Man?!? A overall flop by CBS.”
A 3rd viewer marveled, “CBS has been selling the Billy Joel live performance exclusive each and every two minutes for Months. So what greater way to air it than to preempt it for a half hour and the minimize him off MID-PIANO Man? C’mon fellas.”
“Wow. CBS reduce off the Billy Joel concert special to commence their affiliates’ nearby news broadcasts…In the center of “Piano Person.” Anyone royally screwed up. That’s an embarrassment,” another viewer reported.
Even the nearby news anchors bought in on it, after they understood what took place. Rex Smith, a nearby anchor at a CBS affiliate WANE 15 in Fort Wayne, posted, “I apologize to the persons who were taking pleasure in Billy Joel singing on Tv then all of a sudden experienced to see my confront. I’d have picked Billy Joel in excess of me, far too. I’m not even the Rex Smith who is the well-known singer/actor.”
“As a gentleman who grew up right upcoming to Billy Joel’s hometown, who went to The Previous Enjoy at Shea, it was my duty to apologize to every person about reducing off our telecast of Billy Joel tonight,” Evan Closky, sporting activities director of 10 Tampa Bay, said on X.
“Not to get into the weeds, but there was a exclusive report after the Masters and it wasn’t accounted for by the powers that be outside of this making.”
In spite of the clarification, viewers ended up not acquiring it.
“CBS touts the Billy Joel live performance endlessly for weeks. Then simply because the Masters ran over they get started it 30 min late and lower off the end of the concert ideal in the center of Piano Man. Are you F–KING KIDDING???” a further man or woman fumed.
The Submit achieved out to CBS for remark.
