Billy Joel announces return to stage after brain surgery
Billy Joel announces return to stage after brain surgery
Kevin E G PerryMon, November 9, 2026 at 10:28 PM UTC
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Billy Joel was diagnosed with the brain condition hydrocephalus after suffering an onstage fall (AFP/Getty)
Billy Joel has announced his first live appearance since he underwent brain surgery last year.
The “Piano Man” singer, 77, was diagnosed with the brain condition hydrocephalus after suffering an onstage fall.
He will return to the stage in December with a special appearance at a university in Florida.
A post on his official Facebook page reads: “Florida Atlantic University will welcome singer, songwriter and composer Billy Joel for Billy Joel: An Evening of Questions & Answers… And a Little Music at 7 p.m. on Monday, December 14, 2026.”
However, not all Joel fans will be able to attend the show. The announcement clarifies that: “Tickets will be available exclusively to currently enrolled FAU students beginning Thursday, November 12, 2026.”
Last October, Joel told an interviewer, “I don’t know” when asked if he would ever tour again.
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“I have to take a series of tests before I know, but I can’t drive right now. I’m not allowed to drive,” he continued. “And I can’t do performances because what the neurologist told me, every time you do a show, it’s like you’re getting a concussion.”
Pressed further about his condition and why performing takes such a toll, Joel elaborated: “Rock ‘n’ roll is loud, man. Rock ‘n’ roll made me deaf already. So it’s the lighting, the sound, the stress of the show, the audience, the energy of the performance. There’s a lot going on when you’re onstage. And they said, ‘Well, you really shouldn’t be doing that right now.’
“So they have to test me further to see if I can go back and do performing again, which I would like to be able to do,” he concluded.
Joel revealed last September that he underwent surgery for the brain disorder, which can cause problems with vision, hearing and balance.
After initially refusing to have a shunt implanted in his skull to remove the excess fluid caused by the disorder, Joel said he changed his mind after researching the ways that the procedure could help his symptoms.
“I didn’t want to do that, but then I read up on it, and I realized it can help improve your balance and can help your memory,” Joel said on the radio show earlier in September. “You know, I don’t want to lose my marbles. It’s hard to tell what’s age and what’s a condition, so I agreed to do the shunt, and I had a surgery, and they implanted a shunt in my brain.”
He added that the surgery was a success, and that he had already noticed improvements in his brain function.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
