The Nylon Curtain Tour
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Continental tour by Billy Joel | |
| Location | North America |
|---|---|
| Associated album | The Nylon Curtain |
| Start date | October 24, 1982 |
| End date | December 31, 1982 |
| Legs | 1 |
| No. of shows | 35 |
| Billy Joel concert chronology | |
The Nylon Curtain Tour was a 1982 concert tour of the United States and Canada by singer-songwriter Billy Joel, to support the release of his eighth studio album, The Nylon Curtain. It followed a motorcycle accident earlier that year in which Joel's hands had been injured, and also the divorce from his first wife and manager, Elizabeth Weber.[1]
Production of The Nylon Curtain had begun in the fall of 1981, but was delayed for several months after Joel was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. On April 15, 1982, he hit and was flipped over a car which had run a red light at an intersection on Long Island, crushing the bone in his left thumb and dislocating the other wrist.[2] The album was released towards the end of September, when tentative plans were being made for a corresponding tour.[3][4] These were confirmed by news agency UPI the following month.[5]
The tour began in Salt Lake City on October 24, 1982,[6] and ended just over two months later with a New Year's Eve concert at Madison Square Garden in New York.[7] Dates were added as the tour progressed, since Joel had still not recovered fully from his injuries and wasn't sure how playing long sets would affect him.[8][9] The concert in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on December 27, for example, was not confirmed until less than a month beforehand.[10]
This was the first tour following the departure of Richie Cannata on saxophone and keyboards. He was replaced with Mark Rivera[11] (who still performs with Joel, as of 2024) and David LeBolt (who was dismissed after the Bridge Tour in 1987).[citation needed]
Joel's first video special, Live from Long Island, was recorded on December 29 at the penultimate stop of the tour, the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. This was first broadcast on HBO on July 24, 1983, before being released on VHS.[12] At the following year's Grammy Awards, it was nominated for the Best Video Album.[13][14]
After the tour, it was reported that Joel said he was "leaving the radarscope" to get some rest, and had told his aides not to disturb him under any circumstances.[15]
