Make Page Six a Preferred Source Billy Joel surprisingly made an announcement that he’s putting on a show despite doctors telling him he can no longer perform or even drive anymore.
The legendary musician, 77, shared on Instagram Monday that he’ll be performing at Florida Atlantic University on Dec. 14 for an event titled “Billy Joel for Billy Joel: An Evening of Questions & Answers…And a Little Music.”
Tickets for the intimate event, which is set to feature a Q&A segment and some live music, will only be available to currently enrolled Florida Atlantic University students.
The performance will mark his first appearance since he revealed in September that he had brain surgery after he was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) in 2025. NPH is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull and presses on the brain and disrupts brain function, per the Cleveland Clinic
Joel told the Hollywood Reporter last month that while he wanted to continue to perform, doctors advised him against it.
“I have to take a series of tests before I know,” he told the outlet.
He explained that his doctors were concerned about the combination of extreme sound volume, lighting, stress and energy while he’s on stage.
“What the neurologist told me, every time you do a show, it’s like you’re getting a concussion,” he shared.
He also said he was “not allowed” to drive, and heartbreakingly shared that was part of the reason he was auctioning off his prized motorcycle collection, which includes over 70 bikes.
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“I have a condition called hydrocephalus, which makes driving a little bit iffy,” he said. “So I realized it’s time for me to turn it over to somebody else.”
Still, the “Piano Man” has a fighting spirit when it comes to his health.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m here. I’m still here,” he stressed on SiriusXM’s The Billy Joel Channel in September.
He also admitted that while he was reluctant to undergo surgery, he decided to do it after reading that it could help improve his balance and his memory.
“You know, I don’t want to lose my marbles,” he noted. “It’s hard to tell what’s age and what’s a condition, so I agreed to do the shunt, and I had surgery, and they implanted a shunt in my brain, and it actually improved things.”
But he again shared why doctors told him to quit performing.
“It was causing damage to my brain nerves, and I could be losing more brain cells the more shows I did,” he said. “I realized that means I shouldn’t be doing this right now. I got to improve.”
In May 2025, the Grammy-winning musician canceled all of his tour performances after being diagnosed with NPH.
“This condition has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance,” he announced in an Instagram post at the time.
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