Billy Joel Invites Vandy Student to Play New York State Of Mind

Remember the hype around Billy Joel doing a little Q&A/show at Vanderbilt at the end of January?  Well, this video surfaced last week of Vandy student, Michael Pollack, who got the opportunity of a lifetime to play accompaniment while the piano man sang New York State Of Mind for the crowd at Langford Auditorium.  You can read his quote about the experience from the “Vanderbilt Hustler” below, and the video of Pollack (who has since signed with BMI) is after the jump.  Apparently, during the Q&A session, Pollack just stood up, and asked the renowned artist for the opportunity.  Which should be a reminder, kids. Don’t be afraid to dream, you never know what might happen.

I walked up, we spoke about the arrangement for about 15 seconds — he just went through what he wanted me to play — and then from there, it was just … foggy. It’s hard to remember. I just started playing. I had practiced it a little bit thinking maybe I’d get the chance to go up … I kind of lost myself playing. Then afterward he said to me … he said that I was great, where are you from … and I said, ‘I’m a Long Islander just like you.’ He was like, ‘Cool.’ Then I walked off, and that was it … It was probably the greatest moment of my life, up to date.

[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p04TYk4j0zQ”]