- Crystal Taliefero
- Jun 5
Updated: Jun 6
Hello Family,
It’s been a minute since I’ve blogged, but something happened that stirred something in me—deeply—and I couldn’t stay silent.
As many of you know, I’ve been playing with Billy Joel since 1989. Over the years, he's been more than my boss. He’s been my friend, my mentor, my North Star in this wild, beautiful journey called music. Working with Billy has been nothing short of wonderment—truly. A front-row seat to greatness, yes—but more importantly, a seat at the table with someone who has lived through it all and somehow still manages to give the world his truth in every note he plays.
Last night, my daughter Kodee and I were invited to attend the Opening Night of the Tribeca Film Festival at the Beacon Theatre for the premiere of Billy Joel: And So It Goes. I knew it would be special… but I wasn’t ready for how deeply it would move me.
This wasn’t just a film. It was a mirror. A love letter. A confession. A reckoning.
It was Billy—raw, unfiltered, human.
Watching this documentary wasn’t easy. In fact, it hit me like a ton of bricks. The highs. The heartbreak. The brilliance. The burnout. The soaring stages and the quiet nights after the curtain falls. All of it.
You see, most people hear the music, but they don’t always hear the story. The weight behind each lyric. The scars behind the spotlight. The deep cost of vulnerability when your life is played out in public, yet still somehow feels painfully personal.
As someone who’s lived much of my life on stages beside him, I felt every note of this film. Every win. Every wound.
I was proud—so proud—of Billy for opening the door and letting us in. It takes tremendous courage to let the world see the cracks in your armor, especially when you’ve spent a lifetime being the soundtrack to someone else’s healing.
And I was equally proud to sit beside my daughter, Kodee. Because in that moment, I wasn’t just watching a film. I was passing down a story. A legacy. A reminder that while music might be our calling, family is our grounding. The road can be long, the lights can be blinding, but what truly matters are the souls who hold you steady when the encore fades and the silence returns.
To Billy—thank you for your honesty, your fire, your friendship, and for letting us all walk beside you on this extraordinary ride. You have blessed so many of us.
To the musicians and crew members who’ve I've been blessed to work with for decades—thank you. You are more than colleagues. You are family.
And to our fans—those who’ve I seen memorize every Billy Joel lyric from show to show, who’ve passed the music down to their children like a treasured heirloom—thank you. You’ve been the heartbeat on this journey.
With love and gratitude,
Crystal
