Liberty Devitto, famous for being Billy Joel's hard-hitting Rock drummer of thirty years, led the Lords of 52nd Street at The Space in Westbury last month. The band is made up of the original 'core' members of Billy Joel's band (Liberty DeVitto, Richie Cannata, Russell Javors) who recorded on all of Billy's classic, iconic albums. It was a feel-good night for the fans, a great mix of songs from different periods of their career. Devitto asked the question that night- "Who sounds more like the albums, us or Billy?" The truth is, they do. Not to put down the maestro, but his voice has changed over the years and these are the musicians that wrote and played those parts on the records. Dave Clark, who took on Billy Joel's duties, put on a magnificent show. Nailed everything! It was a memorable night, the finest musicians in Rock And Roll, and they even brought out a gospel choir for the encore.
Highlights of the night were "Angry Young Man" which reminded me of how influential they were to 1970's (progressive) Rock. "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant", another longer-detailed composition, probably the best Billy Joel song in his entire catalog. "The Stranger" from my all time favorite Billy Joel album The Stranger. All the fan favorites were played from "NY State of Mind" to "Movin' Out" to "Big Shot". They also played lesser known songs for the die-hard fans like "Stiletto", but it was hit to hit all night. Every song was powerful and anthemic. You couldn't help but sing along. I've seen the E Street Band live, and I've seen the Lords of 52nd Street. These are the musicians that truly made history.
Their next show is The Cutting Room, February 20th.
TICKETS available.
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