Storm Front Tour


The Storm Front Tour was a 1989–1991 concert tour by singer-songwriter Billy Joel. This tour was the first tour by Joel in two years.

Background

The recording of the album, which commenced in 1988, coincided with major changes in Joel's career and inaugurated a period of serious upheaval in his business affairs. In August 1989, just before the Storm Front album was released, Joel dismissed his manager Frank Weber after an audit revealed major discrepancies in Weber's accounting. Joel subsequently sued Weber for US$90 million, claiming fraud and breach of fiduciary duty. Because of this, Joel was in a huge financial gap, and to make the money back Joel toured extensively for a year and a half.
The album's producer Mick Jones gave Joel the idea of using different musicians on the album. Because of this, this tour marked a lot of changes with the band. Gone were Doug Stegmeyer on bass guitar, Russell Javors on rhythm guitar, David Lebolt on keyboards, and Peter Hewlett and George Simms on backing vocals. They were replaced by Schuyler Deale on bass guitar, Mindy Jostyn on violin and guitar, Jeff Jacobs on keyboards and Crystal Taliefero on percussion, saxophone, and guitar.
Following a rehearsal gig at the Suffolk County Police Academy in Westhampton, New York on December 2, 1989, the tour kicked off in Worcester, Massachusetts on December 6, 1989, and ended in Mexico City, Mexico on March 24, 1991.
The two concerts at Yankee Stadium on June 22 and 23, 1990 were professionally filmed for the video special Billy Joel: Live at Yankee Stadium, which was released in late 1990 and given a limited theatrical release in October 2022.

Setlist

This setlist is from the June 22, 1990 show at Yankee Stadium. It does not represent all the dates throughout the tour.
  1. "Storm Front"
  2. "Allentown"
  3. "Prelude/Angry Young Man"
  4. "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"
  5. "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant"
  6. "The Downeaster "Alexa""
  7. "Goodnight Saigon"
  8. "I [Go to Extremes]"
  9. "Pressure"
  10. "My Life"
  11. "An [Innocent Man (song)|An Innocent Man]"
  12. "Shameless"
  13. "We Didn't Start the Fire"
  14. "Shout"
  15. "Uptown Girl"
  16. "It's Still [Rock and Roll to Me]"
  17. "You May Be Right"
  18. "Only the Good Die Young"
  19. "Miami 2017 (Seen the [Lights Go Out on Broadway)]"
  20. "A Matter of Trust"
  21. "Big Shot"
  22. "New York State of Mind"
  23. "Piano Man"

Personnel

  • Billy Joel – lead vocals, piano, keyboards, harmonica, rhythm guitar
  • Mark Rivera – saxophone, flute, clarinet, vocals, percussion, keyboards, rhythm guitar
  • Schuyler Deale – bass guitar, vocals
  • David Brown – lead guitar, vocals
  • Mindy Jostyn – violin, guitar
  • Tommy Byrnes – rhythm guitar
  • Jeff Jacobs – keyboards
  • Crystal Taliefero – percussion, saxophone, guitar.
  • Liberty DeVitto – drums, percussion