It's Still Rock and Roll to Me

We headed over to Proctor's Theatre with the Brownells last night to see "Movin' Out."

The show was fantastic. It's essentially a "rock ballet" set to the music of Billy Joel. They quite cleverly tied together about two dozen Billy Joel songs to illustrate the story of a group of friends experiencing love, war, death and redemption during the turbulent 1960s and on into later years.

The dancing was amazing. There was little to no dialogue in the show. The story is entirely conveyed through the movement of the dancers and the lyrics of the songs.

Speaking of the lyrics…I've always been a big Billy Joel fan, but I admit it's been a while since I sat down and really listened to his music (it's been about 15 years since his last pop album was released). The show really helped remind me why I liked him so much back in the day and what an incredible songwriter he is.

You name the classic Billy Joel song and it's in there. With the exception of "Allentown" and (believe it or not) "Piano Man," most everything else is included - every hit from "Captain Jack" to "River of Dreams."

One of my favorite songs of his has always been "Goodnight Saigon," and the rendition of it here does not disappoint. It's haunting and almost moved me to tears.

Although most of the show is pretty dark, there is fun to be had with some of the more upbeat numbers like "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" and "Uptown Girl."

The show is actually heavy on Billy's better older stuff and doesn't have quite as much from his later albums. But that's ok. If you're a Billy Joel fan you should get yourself to Proctor's before the show closes on Sunday. You won't regret it.