NEW YORK, June 4, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSGE) announced today that the Garden of Dreams Foundation will auction off, via Charitybuzz, the banner recognizing Billy Joel's original record of "the longest run of any artist" with 12 consecutive shows to benefit the charitable organization. The Charitybuzz auction is running now through Friday, June 26 at noon (EDT). The auction winner will receive the signed banner and two tickets to a future Billy Joel show at Madison Square Garden. Joel's original record was set in 2006 and the banner recognizing this achievement hung from the Garden rafters until his January 2015 performance.
"There are a lot of venues out there, but only one Madison Square Garden – my home away from home," said Billy Joel. "As a local kid from Long Island, I love that MSG's Garden of Dreams Foundation does great work for children facing obstacles in the New York area and I'm thrilled to auction the first commemorative banner to help these amazing kids."
The Garden of Dreams Foundation works with The Madison Square Garden Company to bring the magic of MSG – including MSG Entertainment, the Knicks, Rangers, Liberty and MSG Networks – to children facing obstacles. Since its inception in 2006, Garden of Dreams has created enduring programs and once-in-a-lifetime experiences that have brought joy and happiness to more than 275,000 children and their families. The Foundation takes pride in its commitment to truly change lives, hosting more than 500 event and programs each year. In addition, through its Garden of Dreams Giving program, the Foundation helps meet the critical needs of the children they serve, including through direct support of scholarships and tangible, targeted community projects.
In December 2013, Billy Joel became Madison Square Garden's first-ever music franchise of The World's Most Famous Arena, joining the ranks of The Garden's other original franchises – the New York Knicks, Rangers and Liberty. Since January 2014, Joel has played one show per month at The Garden as part of the Time Warner Cable Concert Series. This hugely successful residency has led to 24 sold out shows through December 2015.
With each monthly performance, Joel continues to break his own record for the most consecutive shows at The World's Most Famous Arena throughout his residency, and in July, he will break Madison Square Garden's record for the "most number of performances by any artist" with his 65th show at the venue. The record is currently held by Elton John. With his upcoming July 1 performance at MSG, Billy Joel will be the first artist ever to simultaneously hold both of Madison Square Garden's concert-related performance records.
Having sold 150 million records over the past quarter century, Billy Joel ranks as one of most popular recording artists and respected entertainers in history. The singer/songwriter/composer is the sixth best-selling recording artist of all time, the third best-selling solo artist and one of the highest grossing touring artists in the world. In November 2014, Billy Joel received both The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, which honors living musical artists' lifetime achievement in promoting the genre of song as a vehicle of cultural understanding; entertaining and informing audiences and inspiring new generations, and the once-in-a-century ASCAP Centennial Award, which is presented to American music icons in recognition of their incomparable accomplishments in their respective music genres and beyond. In December 2013, Joel received The Kennedy Center Honors, one of the United States' top cultural awards. He is also the recipient of six GRAMMY® Awards, including the prestigious Grammy Legend Award. Joel has been inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has received numerous industry awards. "Movin' Out," a Broadway musical based on Joel's music, choreographed and directed by Twyla Tharp, took home two Tony Awards, including Best Orchestrations – Joel's first Tony Award win – and Best Choreography. For his accomplishments as a musician and as a humanitarian, Joel was honored as the 2002 MusiCares Person of The Year by the MusiCares Foundation and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. Joel has also performed alongside other music greats at two of Madison Square Garden's most extraordinary benefit concerts – "12-12-12, The Concert For Sandy Relief," which raised awareness and money for those affected by Hurricane Sandy and "The Concert for New York City," which was held to help aid 9/11 victims and heroes. Billy Joel received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, adding another milestone to his extraordinary career.
Coming off the success of last summer's "Music Saturdays with Billy Joel," MSG Networks is bringing back the fan-favorite with a summer-long event featuring unforgettable concert specials from the legendary artist on Saturdays at 9:30 p.m. Starting May 30 through September 4, fans will get to re-live some of Joel's most iconic performances including "Billy Joel: Live at Shea" and "Billy Joel: Live from Long Island." MSG now offers a rich visual history of Billy Joel and his many Garden performances through a scrollable timeline, featuring archival images, video insights from Billy, sharable images and lyrics, plus direct links for ticketing. Visit billyjoelmsg.com for more information. Join the conversation with #BillyJoelMSG.
The Garden of Dreams Foundation
The Garden of Dreams Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity that works with The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) to positively impact the lives of children facing obstacles. Through ongoing programs that use the magic of MSG – including the Knicks, the Rangers, the Liberty, MSG Entertainment and MSG Networks – the Foundation develops strong, long-term relationships that truly change lives. Since its inception in September 2006, Garden of Dreams has created thousands of once-in-a-lifetime experiences that have brought joy and happiness to more than 275,000 children and their families, including those facing homelessness, extreme poverty, illness and foster care. For more information, visit www.GardenofDreamsFoundation.org
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CONTACT: For press related inquiries, please contact:
For Billy Joel:
Claire Mercuri: Claire@clairemercuri.com / (917) 940-2499
For Madison Square Garden:
Mikyl Cordova: Mikyl.Cordova@msg.com / (212) 631-4337
Rachel Sachs: Rachel.Sachs@msg.com / (212) 465-6360
