Billy Joel is aware that his touring career will one day be over.
When Mike Santoro met Joel, the 75-year-old pianist offered his support for Santoro’s tribute performance, he said.
“Like he said, we’re keeping his music alive because he’s not going to do it forever,” Santoro said. “When he’s not on tour and fans see one of our shows and buy a record or download music, they’re not buying from us, they’re buying from him.”
The Face 2 Face tribute act, featuring Santoro as Joel and Ronnie Smith as Elton John, will perform at Symphony on the Prairie at Conner Prairie in Fishers on August 24 at 8 p.m.
Santoro and Ronnie Smith formed Face 2 Face in 2010. Santoro also performs as Billy Joel in a solo act called The Stranger.
“We come out with the band and play four songs,” Santoro said. “Then Elton goes out and I play a set for 40 minutes. Then he plays a set for 40 minutes, followed by a short break. Then we come back and play Face 2 Face for an hour and 15 minutes. That’s what we do (at Conner Prairie).”
Santoro, 55, said they have played Symphony on the Prairie several times before. The concert stays true to the live music performance of both artists.
Santoro said he recently received news that the name Face 2 Face is now a registered trademark in the music category. Santoro lives in Charlotte and Smith in Myrtle Beach, SC
Santoro has seen Billy Joel and Elton John perform live, but never saw the duo together when they toured with Face to Face. Their last tour together was in 2009-10.
“We modeled the show after them,” Santoro said. “It worked for them and we hoped it would work for us, and it did.”
Santoro said when his friends were listening to Kiss, he was listening to Billy Joel, Elton John and Fleetwood Mac because he had older sisters
“Billy is a local hero to me. He grew up just a few miles from my house,” said Santoro, who grew up in Long Island, NY.
For more information, visit indianapolissymphony.org and face2facetribute.com.
