The initial announcement that Billy Joel and Sting were going to headline a one-night only concert at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City got a lot of hype — it culminated with Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham riding a motorcycle onto the field to declare his love for Joel, whom he said he has been listening to since “Piano Man” came out in 1973.
“Absolutely elated,” Whittingham said, with a Billy Joel/Sting No. 25 Utes jersey on either side of him. “I’ve been a Billy Joel fan forever, so really exciting stuff. Can’t wait for the concert. I’ll be here, hopefully, if I can get tickets. Just couldn’t be more thrilled to have the Piano Man coming to Salt Lake City.”
But Whittingham and his fellow Joel fans will now have to wait a little bit longer.
Billy Joel postpones Utah show with Sting
On Tuesday, Joel shared that upcoming concert dates are being rescheduled because of a “medical condition” — including the Salt Lake City show that was scheduled for May 23.
The singer-songwriter said he needs time to recover from a recent surgery and will also be undergoing physical therapy under the supervision of his doctors.
“While I regret postponing any shows, my health must come first,” he shared in an Instagram post. “I look forward to getting back on stage and sharing the joy of live music with our amazing fans. Thank you for your understanding.”
Joel’s tour will resume in Pittsburgh on July 5, according to his Instagram post. All purchased tickets are valid for rescheduled shows. The Salt Lake City show has been rescheduled for May 22, 2026.
Joel’s last Utah concert came roughly eight years ago at Salt Lake City’s Delta Center. That concert on Nov. 29, 2017, marked 10 years to the day that he’d last performed a solo show at the arena, the Deseret News reported.
“If there were any fans at the show upset with the singer for neglecting the Beehive State for so long, Joel offered a sincere apology via a comprehensive and engaging show that took Utah fans on a journey through his dynamic career,” I wrote for the Deseret News at the time. “Let’s just hope his next performance won’t be in 2027.”
‘One of the biggest concert experiences’
When the Joel/Sting event was first announced, Jason Farrell, president of Live Nation Utah, said it “is sure to be one of the biggest concert experiences of 2025″ and noted that Utah has become a “destination for music artists of all sizes.”
“There’s a reason why, and it’s not just because Utah is a beautiful state, and it is,” he said, as the Deseret News previously reported. “But we in Utah have, hands down, the greatest fans in the entire world. Night after night I am told by artists coming off stage that it was the best show they’ve ever played, that it was the best crowd they’ve ever played in front of. And it’s not lip service, it’s not selling it to the audience. It’s the truth. There is a magic at these shows and there’s an energy that is created by community-minded fans that want to share an experience and then create something magical and unlike any other market on the world.”
Rice-Eccles Stadium has drawn some big acts over the years, including U2, Kelly Clarkson and NSYNC. Recently, country music has been a major emphasis: Country superstar Garth Brooks performed there three times from the summer of 2021 through the summer of 2022. Luke Combs performed there last year and, most recently, country greats George Strait and Chris Stapleton co-headlined at the Salt Lake stadium.
“There’s so much history that’s taken place here,” University of Utah Athletics’ director of broadcasting, Bill Riley, told reporters at the press conference last fall, citing Mountain West and Pac-12 football games, and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics. “Coming up in about 10 years or so, the world’s going to once again descend on Utah in this stadium as well for the opening and closing games of the 2034 Winter Olympiad.”