Billy Joel joined by Goo Goo Dolls’ John Rzeznik for mesmerising performance of ‘Iris’

16 August 2021, 12:22

Billy Joel joined by Goo Goo Dolls’ John Rzeznik for mesmerizing performance of ‘Iris’
Billy Joel joined by Goo Goo Dolls’ John Rzeznik for mesmerizing performance of ‘Iris’. Picture: YouTube // Instagram
Hannah Lovejoy

By Hannah Lovejoy

Billy Joel was joined on stage by Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik and they performed an incredible rendition of the band’s well-known hit ‘Iris’.

Music legend Billy Joel performed his second post-pandemic concert on Saturday night (August 14) at the Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, New York.

Billy’s concert saw him perform some of his greatest hits and he was also joined on stage by Goo Goo Dolls singer John Rzeznick.

Read more: The Story of... 'Iris' by Goo Goo Dolls

“Welcome to my hometown,” John said to Billy when he got onto the stage. The birthplace of the Goo Goo Dolls was Buffalo, New York where the concert took place.

Billy and John performed the iconic Goo Goo Dolls song ‘Iris’ for the crowd. John sang and played acoustic guitar for the track while Billy accompanied him on the piano.

Billy Joel & John Rzeznik - Iris - Highmark Stadium - Orchard Park, NY - August 14, 2021

‘Iris’ was first released in 1998 and it peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. In the UK, ‘Iris’ peaked at 26 during the time of its release.

Read more: Billy Joel dating history: How the star's ex-girlfriends inspired some of his biggest hits

However, it landed at number three on the official chart in 2011 after it was performed on The X Factor. It made another appearance on the UK chart in 2013 and landed at number 12 - this was thanks to Britain’s Got Talent contestant Robbie Kennedy.

The track was written by John for the 1998 movie City of Angels. The romantic drama starred Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan - ‘Iris’ is sung from the perspective of Nicolas’ character.

Posting on Instagram, Billy shared a picture of him and John on stage as they performed the ‘Iris’ track.

Billy is scheduled to play in Ohio and Texas in the coming months before returning to his monthly residency at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 5. The last time Billy performed at the historic music venue was in February 2020.