Piano Man to Tour

Billy Joel just announced his plans to embark on a solo tour. It will be his first solo outing in nearly eight years.

Billy Joel will return to the road as a solo headlining artist for the first time in nearly eight years, sources tell Billboard.com, beginning with a series of shows in January through April of next year.

Dates on the tour, which includes stops in such markets as Las Vegas, Jacksonville, Fla., and New York, will begin being announced as soon as Friday (Nov. 11). Ticket prices will top out at $75 in most markets.

The last time Joel toured solo was 1998-99, when he grossed $47 million from 64 shows that drew 1.1 million people, according to Billboard Boxscore.

Since then, Joel's tours with fellow piano pop superstar Elton John have made them the most lucrative co-headlining duo of all time. John and Joel last toured together in 2003, grossing $46 million from just 24 dates.

(via Billboard)