Ten days after September 11, Billy Joel sat at his piano before millions of grieving viewers. Resting on top of his piano was an FDNY firefighter helmet, honoring the brave responders in the ongoing recovery operation. Joel poured his heart into “New York State of Mind”, turning his 1976 homecoming track into a poignant anthem, creating one of his most raw performances. Joel performed the song for the national broadcast America: A Tribute to Heroes, a telethon to raise relief funds.
You could really hear the pain and emotion in Joel’s voice. The Piano Man and his band delivered a grand and stately rendition here. The lineup featured saxophonist Mark Rivera, drummer Liberty DeVitto, guitarist Tommy Byrnes and bassist Andy Cichon. Many fans highlighted the impact of Mark’s emotional sax playing, in particular his inspired solo at 2:50. He plays such a perfect counterpoint to Joel’s piano playing and lead vocals throughout the arrangement.
The song had arrived 25 years earlier under vastly different circumstances. When Joel recorded “New York State of Mind” for his 1976 album Turnstiles, he was marking his move back east after living in Los Angeles. Joel recalled stepping off a Greyhound bus, heading to his new home in Highland Falls, and feeling a rush of relief to be back. It began as an expression of personal happiness at returning home, an origin that gave the 2001 performance even deeper resonance.
The helmet on the piano carried its own history. According to News 12, photographer Kevin Mazur borrowed FDNY Lieutenant Neil Skow’s helmet from his firehouse before the broadcast and returned it afterward. Skow survived the disaster, and decades later Mazur tracked him down. The helmet eventually found its way back onto Joel’s piano during a Madison Square Garden concert, with Skow watching from the crowd. You can see that Madison Square Garden performance below.
Over the years, “New York State of Mind” grew far beyond its original album release. It was memorably covered by Barbra Streisand in 1977 and later revisited as a duet between them in 2014. Yet the 2001 television broadcast holds a distinct place in Joel’s catalog. The telethon went on to receive a Peabody Award and two Emmy Awards, raising more than $150 million for relief funds while reaching tens of millions of viewers across the globe.
That emotional weight still draws listeners to the footage online, where the performance has gathered more than half a million views. Viewers added comments such as “The best song ever written about any city in the world. This will last forever” and “I remember that time, everybody was hurting after the attacks. Thanks Mr. Joel for bringing a little serenity to us all.”