Friday night, he crashed their party. Saturday? No need to be sorry.
That's what happened when Pope Francis's travel schedule bumped Piano Man Billy Joel out of his regular perch at Madison Square Garden.
Joel had been booked for his monthly appearance on Sept. 25. He quickly agreed to move to the next night when the Archdiocese asked.
But for Joel's production designer and creative director of 41 years, Steve Cohen, the postponement of a rock concert was also an opportunity: he offered, with Joel's blessing, to build the lighting for the Pope's Friday night Mass.
"It's a tight schedule at MSG, it's a complicated venue," Cohen told NBC 4 New York. "We talked about the possibility of setting up the Billy Joel production and having it remain in the Garden for the pope's Mass."
The producers of the service asked if there was an appropriate way to use Joel's equipment and make it acceptable for a papal Mass enviroment; Joel immediately said yes.
"Billy was very generous, and has been very generous, and said, 'All of my people are going to be in town, and if they want to do it, I would love for have them to do it,'" Cohen said.
Cohen said he's humbled by the opportunity.
"Everything I've heard and been directed by the Archdiocese on what the pope likes -- simplicity and humility -- there's not going to be any flash in the lighting or in the production," said Cohen.
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"We're going to create a calm and elegant enviromment for the city's Catholics to participate in a mass," he said. "And at the same time, we're hosting the pope in probably one of New York's greatest iconic venues and what I consider one of the greatest venues in the world."
