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Billy Joel: The Bridge to Russia

Document of Billy Joel's groundbreaking tour of the Soviet Union in 1987, which was seen as a major cultural turning point in the course of US/Soviet relations during the Cold War.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Billy Joel was building a catalogue of timeless songs while enjoying a string of consecutive hit albums and singles. Though selling out concerts around the world, Billy and his music were, like much of western pop culture and rock 'n' roll itself, unheard behind the Iron Curtain, except for black market bootlegs and faint shortwave radio.

By the late 80s, the Cold War between the USSR and the West had begun to thaw in the light of Russian head-of-state Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of Glasnost and Perestroika, designed to bring openness and transparency to the Soviet Union while promoting political reform and cross-cultural exchanges. When the Kremlin invited Billy Joel to perform in the Soviet Union, he jumped at the chance to realise a long-time dream of performing for the Russian people. As America's pop rock musical ambassador, Billy Joel brought the Soviets their first fully-staged high-energy rock show. The tour began with a small acoustic concert in Tbilisi, followed by three electrifying stadium shows in Moscow and three shows in Leningrad.

Joel's historic visit to Russia became a worldwide news event, with journalists and writers covering the tour, its progress and the effect Billy, his band and his family were having on the Russian people. The entire tour was professionally filmed and the concerts were simulcast on radio worldwide. During their stay, Billy and his family, along with musicians, staff, and a huge press entourage spent their days interacting with the Russian people, forging true bonds of friendship wherever they went. The tour has been seen as a major cultural turning point in the course of US and Soviet relations.

Seen and heard now, more than 25 years later, Joel's Russian concert tour performances stand out among the most electrifying and moving of his career and this film bears witness to the timeless revolutionary power of rock 'n' roll.

1 hour, 20 minutes

Last on

Sat 6 Dec 2014 22:45

Music Played

  • Billy Joel

    A Matter Of Trust聽

  • Billy Joel

    础濒濒别苍迟辞飞苍听

  • Billy Joel

    An Innocent Man聽

  • Billy Joel

    And So It Goes聽

  • Billy Joel

    Angry Young Man聽

  • Billy Joel

    Back In The Ussr聽

  • Billy Joel

    Big Man On Mulberry Street聽

  • Billy Joel

    Big Man On Mulberry Street Acoustic聽

  • Billy Joel

    Big Shot聽

  • Billy Joel

    Georgian Chant聽

  • Georgian Locals聽

    Georgian Folk Song聽

  • Georgian Locals聽

    Georgian Folk Song (2)聽

  • Billy Joel

    贬辞苍别蝉迟测听

  • None

    Deleted Record

  • Billy Joel

    It's Still Rock 'n' Roll To Me聽

  • Billy Joel

    尝别苍颈苍驳谤补诲听

  • Billy Joel

    My Funny Valentine聽

  • Billy Joel

    My Life聽

  • Billy Joel

    New York State Of Mind聽

  • Billy Joel

    Only The Good Die Young聽

  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Piano Concerto No 1聽

  • Billy Joel

    笔谤别蝉蝉耻谤别听

  • George Gershwin

    Rhapsody In Blue聽

  • Billy Joel

    Sometimes A Fantasy聽

  • Billy Joel

    厂迟颈濒别迟迟辞听

  • Billy Joel

    The Longest Time聽

  • Billy Joel

    The Times They Are A Changin'聽

  • Billy Joel

    Uptown Girl聽

  • None

    Deleted Record

  • Billy Joel

    You May Be Right聽

  • None

    Deleted Record

Billy Joel Live in Leningrad

Billy Joel Live in Leningrad
features highlights from his concert at the Lenin Sports and Concert Complex in Leningrad (now St Petersburg).

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