Billy Joel’s desire to get back on stage is strong, but whether a brain condition will let him perform again is the question, the singer-songwriter explained in a recent interview.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Joel said “I have to take a series of tests before I know” about performing. He also revealed, “I can’t drive right now. I’m not allowed to drive.”
In 2025, Joel opened up about his diagnosis of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), a brain disorder that causes fluid to accumulate in the brain’s ventricles, leading to issues with hearing, vision, and balance after canceling a series of shows.
A return to the stage doesn’t seem likely anytime soon as neurologists have cautioned him against performing. “What the neurologist told me, every time you do a show, it’s like you’re getting a concussion,” Joel told The Hollywood Reporter.
Joel elaborated on how NPH isn’t conducive to playing live. “The volume. Rock ‘n’ roll is loud, man,” he said in the interview. “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.”
In late September, Joel announced a massive Turnstiles 50th anniversary box set with 54 unreleased demos, rarities, and live recordings.
The Piano Man is also dropping one of Consequence’s must-have releases on Record Store Day Black Friday.