Billy Joel used his recent Madison Square Garden residency show as an opportunity to honor legendary Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. Joel covered Lightfoot’s hit “Sundown” before dedicating his own song “The Downeaster Alexa” to the musician as well.
“You might know him from the hit records he had,” Joel told the audience before starting to sing “Sundown.”
It is no surprise “The Downeaster Alexa” was also part of the tribute. In some of his previous interviews, Joel explained that he actually imagined Lightfoot singing the song while he was writing it.
Gordon Lightfoot passed away earlier this month. He is regarded as one of the greatest Canadian music acts of all time and among the most influential folk-pop artists. Lightfoot received Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation’s highest honor given to a civilian, in 2003 and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012.
The “Sundown” cover was the second time that Joel paid tribute to Lightfoot since the iconic singer/songwriter passed away. Shortly after the news was announced, Joel shared an intimate cover of Lightfoot’s “If You Could Read My Mind,” while calling Lightfoot “a lifelong musical hero of mine.”
