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Kontsert (Концерт) (1987)

Where the lyrics of Kontsert (Концерт) take you, and where it was really made.

Its Russian title means 'concert,' and it was recorded on a 1987 Soviet tour that made Billy Joel one of the first Western rock groups to perform in Russia.

Key places

Second Moscow show, Olympic Sports Complex (1987)

Live show Sport Complex Olympiski — Joel's second Moscow concert was held at the Olympic Sports Complex. The point is set at city-center level, not at the exact building. During Sometimes a Fantasy, spotlights on the audience angered him and he overturned his electric piano. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Leningrad show, dive into the crowd (1987)

Live show V. I. Lenin Sport & Concert Complex — During the Leningrad concerts, Joel dove into the crowd while performing The Longest Time as a way of showing trust in the Russian people. The point is set at city-center level, not at the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Kontsert (Концерт): second live album by Billy Joel, released 1987
• Recorded during the Soviet leg of Joel's 1987 The Bridge tour
• Co-produced by Jim Boyer and Brian Ruggles; mixed by Jim Boyer
• Six shows in total: three in Moscow and three in Leningrad
• Title is the Russian word for 'concert'; often misread as Kohuept

Background

• Joel was invited to perform in the Soviet Union in 1987 and took the chance to act as a musical ambassador
• He was seen as a first attempt at bringing an American pop star into the country
• Joel brought his wife Christie Brinkley and daughter Alexa Ray Joel on the tour
• Joel and his band were one of the first Western rock groups to perform in Russia

Recording

• At the second Moscow show at the Olympic Sports Complex, Joel flipped his electric piano and broke his mic stand
• Spotlights on the audience angered him, since lit crowd members went suddenly still
• He dedicated Honesty to Vladimir Vysotsky each time it was performed
• In Leningrad he dove into the crowd during The Longest Time
• His voice was hoarse after daytime interviews that followed a European tour

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born May 9, 1949 in the Bronx, New York City; raised in Hicksville on Long Island.
• Began piano lessons at age four at his mother's insistence.
• Saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show and decided to pursue a music career.
• Played in the Echoes, the Hassles, and Attila before going solo.

Career

• Debut solo album Cold Spring Harbor (1971); signed with Columbia Records in 1972 after a Philadelphia radio broadcast of "Captain Jack".
• Breakthrough with The Stranger (1977), Columbia's best-selling release at that time.
• 52nd Street (1978) won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
• Released 12 self-written studio albums from 1971 to 1993; over 160 million records sold worldwide.
• Performed a long Madison Square Garden residency from 2014 to 2024.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Joel said he was disappointed with the album and felt his vocals were not up to par during production
• Columbia Records released the album anyway, claiming it was a 'historic event'

Reappraisal

• Joel later said the Russia trip was probably the biggest highlight of his career as a performer
• He said he hoped people in America could see what the band had done in Russia
• He added that the trip gave them something to say about the Cold War

Records

• 'Back in the U.S.S.R.' was released as a single from the album and finished at number 39 on the Billboard top-40 singles list

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Joel and his band jokingly refer to the album as 'Kaput'
• Joel's on-stage remarks were translated by Oleg Smirnoff
• Each time he played Honesty, Joel dedicated the song to Vladimir Vysotsky, whom he called an inspirational Russian man who spoke the truth
• In Russia, Joel and his daughter Alexa met a clown named Viktor; the song 'Leningrad' was later written about him and released on the 1989 Storm Front album
• Joel said the trip was a way to show that he trusted the Russian people

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

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