Lori Umbrino saw her first Billy Joel concert at Shea Stadium in Queens in 1990. More than three decades later, she stood with her two children outside Madison Square Garden on Thursday evening, each wearing a T-shirt from the singer’s concerts across the years.

“We’ve been there with him along the journey,” said Umbrino, 51, whose shirt was from Joel’s 100th concert at Madison Square Garden on July 18, 2018, designated Billy Joel Day in New York state.

That journey has led them back to Madison Square Garden, where Joel was performing the 150th and final show of his 10-year residency

Jimmy Fallon with Billy Joel and his grand children Della and Remy Joel Instagram: @billyjoel

The milestone — and, for some, the devastating misunderstanding that Joel was retiring — drew veterans of his shows, first-timers, families and singles from around the city and the country. Thousands of people piled into the Garden to hear Joel glide from rock song to soulful blues.

Jimmy Fallon and Billy Joel at the Madison Square Garden Instagram: @billyjoel

Stuart Stephenson sat outside the arena at 34th Street and Eighth Avenue, blowing into his melodica, fingering the keys to play “New York State of Mind” and “Uptown Girl.” Fans and commuters streamed by, hawkers sold T-concert shirts, and drivers planted their hands on their horns.

Stephenson saw a news segment Thursday morning about Joel’s concert, and thinking the Piano Man was closing his Steinway for good, he rushed into Midtown.

“I was supposed to play at Citi Field tonight,” Stephenson, 55, said, referring to the ballpark where the New York Mets were playing the Atlanta Braves. “But I decided to come here.” He was among many people who were relieved to learn Joel wasn’t retiring.

Ryan Tores flew in from Thousand Oaks, California, where he grew up listening to Joel’s songs. “He’s the one artist our whole family can agree on,” said Tores, 21, who was attending the concert with his young sister and their parents.

“One-hundred-fifty out of 150 seems special,” Tores, said, adding that the event might call for “rare songs and deeper cuts,” like “Sleeping With the Television On” or “All for Leyna.”

Simmi Degnemark, 55, wore a shimmery shirt — “At a Billy Joel concert, I got to look sparkly” — but decided to buy a concert T-shirt for $10 outside the venue. Perhaps the night would call for an outfit change, she added.

Hours before the show, tickets on resale websites were priced at more than $700 for the nosebleed section.

“Anyone selling one ticket?” Jared Belson asked concertgoers heading toward the entrance. Belson turned 40 in January and wanted to celebrate by seeing Joel live, a chance he thought might never come again. “I’ve always wanted to go to Billy Joel show,” he said.

But as 8 o’clock drew closer, Belson’s concert dreams were smoldering. He approached a group of three people in their 20s, who were also on the hunt for a way in.

“Someone please give me a ticket!” Jenna Devellis, 24, called out with her arms in the air, one of which was inked with a tarot card and the words “THE FOOL,” an homage to the song “Vienna.” She got it last June, her first and only tattoo.

As she and a friend scrambled for tickets, a digital poster of Joel flashed on a sign above Penn Station: “The Final Show of the Record-Breaking Residency,” with the words “Tonight Sold Out” below it.

Paul Kurian and his family shuffled forward on the line toward the entrance to Madison Square Garden, chatting about whether Joel might bring out a special guest.

“Who could it be?” Kurian, 48, who had traveled from Fredrick, Maryland, with his family, wondered. “He might just not have anybody.”

In the end, they were not to be disappointed: Axl Rose showed up to perform with Joel. What more could you ask for on a Thursday night in New York?

The New York Times News Service