Broadcast television has made some boneheaded blunders over the years.
Now they’ve outraged one of the largest fan bases in music.
And Billy Joel fans were ready to go to war against CBS after this wrong move.
CBS cuts from Billy Joel concert at a crucial moment
Iconic musician Billy Joel is still smashing records at 74 years old.
The Piano Man had his 100th consecutive concert at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden as part of his residency there.
Joel has sold out the Garden more than any other musician in the iconic venue’s history.
CBS decided to record his performance for the record-breaking 100th show to air as a special on the network.
The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden- The Greatest Arena Run of All Time special was heavily promoted on the network in the weeks running up to it.
Joel’s legion of fans were told they could enjoy one of the most legendary concerts of his distinguished career from the comfort of their home.
But things began to go south when the special’s start time was pushed back a half hour because CBS broadcasted the final round of the Masters golf tournament, which ran over its allotted time.
And when Joel began to perform his signature song, “Piano Man,” the unthinkable happened.
CBS cut away from “Piano Man” in the middle of the song to switch to the 11:00 pm local news.
Outrage poured in on social media over the decision.
Viewers throughout the Eastern and Central Time Zones had the broadcast of the Billy Joel concert cut off, mid-Piano Man.
Evidently, CBS was no longer in the mood for a melody. pic.twitter.com/bVlcIReRXn
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 15, 2024
“CBS has been promoting the Billy Joel concert special every two minutes for WEEKS. So what better way to air it than to preempt it for a half hour and then cut him off MID-PIANO MAN? C’mon guys,” a user wrote on social media.
“CBS should never be allowed to show another concert. Horrible editing and cutting off Piano Man????” another user wrote.
Fans would be angry about the concert being preempted but cutting away in the middle of Joel’s biggest song crossed the line.
CBS apologies for cutting away from Billy Joel
CBS refused to preempt local news in the Eastern and Central time zones for the Joel special.
The broadcast network issued an apology and blamed the situation on an error.
“A network programming timing error ended last night’s Billy Joel special approximately two minutes early in the Eastern and Central Time Zones. We apologize to Mr. Joel, his fans, our affiliated stations, and our audience whose viewing experience was interrupted during the last song,” CBS wrote in a statement.
CBS announced that they were going to rebroadcast the special to atone for their error.