REVIEW: Elio Pace’s Billy Joel Songbook, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton. Also the Theatre Royal Brighton on Monday, March 16.

Elio Pace and his band delivered a monumental show of monumental skill on a very special homecoming night in Southampton.

Just a few miles from Eastleigh where he grew up, Elio – with family and friends in the audience – offered the perfect celebration of the man who changed his life back in the 1980s when he was gigging once a week in Chandlers Ford.

Billy Joel entered Elio’s life at that point and changed its course – and that was one of the things which took tonight’s concert to the next level. There was plenty of chat from Elio at the piano. He gave each song context not just in his own life – but in Billy Joel’s life too. It was perfect for the aficionados, perfect too for those of us who know the bulk of the songs without necessarily knowing they are Joel’s.

And what songs they are, beautifully delivered across the full range, from the rock to the ballads via everything in between. At every turn Elio’s respect for the great man shone through, and so did his love. And not for a moment did the energy drop across (including interval) more than three hours of classics superbly played to an audience loving every second.

A great night indeed.