Billy Joel’s 1987 tour of the Soviet Union was a landmark occasion, as it is considered one of the first fully-staged pop rock shows to occur behind the Iron Curtain.
That series of shows also is infamous for an iconic blowup Joel had on stage captured on video. And it was for a very good reason.
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The tour, including behind-the-scenes and performances, was filmed to offset the cost of the trip.
During Joel’s performance July 27, 1987 at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Moscow, crews kept lighting the crowd to capture footage of the audience.
However, Joel noticed every time they did, the crowd would stop enjoying themselves as not to be filmed dancing in public. Joel pleaded with the crews to stop lighting the crowd, going so far as to flipping his piano and yelling while on stage because he wanted his audience to enjoy themselves without the fear of retaliation from the Soviet government.
Per Ultimate Classic Rock, Joel explained at the time, “I was yelling at our people. It was a real prima donna act, but I have to protect my show.”
By all accounts, the six remaining shows on the tour turned out to be huge successes, with one even seeing Joel crowd-surf while being draped in American and Soviet flags.
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