Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.As recently as June, Billy Joel told Rolling Stone that he tries “to stay out of politics,” adding, “I try not to get up on a soapbox and tell people how to think.” But Monday night at his show at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Billy made a powerful political statement without saying a word.
During his encore, Billy appeared onstage wearing a yellow Star of David on the front of his blazer, and one on the back, in reference to the stars Jews were forced by Nazis to wear during the Holocaust. In the wake of the events in Charlottesville, it was a silent protest against the renewed visibility of neo-Nazis and the so-called alt-right movement.
Bill’s parents were Jewish, and during World War II, his grandfather was driven out of business in Germany because he was Jewish. The story inspired a 2001 documentary film called The Joel Files.
Billy’s daughter, Alexa Ray, and his ex-wife, Christie Brinkley, attended the concert, and showed their support via Instagram.
Alexa captioned a photo of her dad wearing the Star of David, “Now, THIS Is How You Do It! THAT’S MY POP!!! Proud Jewish New Yorker Through & Through!!!!! REPRESENT! STAND STRONG.”
Christie wrote, “And on the day of the Solar Eclipse a yellow star appeared on the jacket of another kind of star with a cl[e]nched fist that seemed to be gripping painful…memories of loved ones who wore that star to their death.”
She continued, “…Thank you Billy for reminding people what was …so it may never ever be again.”
During the show, Joel also invited Patty Smyth of Scandal to sing their hit “Goodbye to You” as photos of now-departed White House officials like Steve Bannon and Sean Spicer appeared onscreen.
Billy Joel Wears Yellow Star of David at New York Show Amid Rising Neo-Nazi Activity https://t.co/ywq0LrVpnk
— People (@people) August 22, 2017
Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.