Billy Joel showed how well-rounded he is musically last night at a special charity concert at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York's Times Square.

He offered his opinions on the differences between Beethoven and Mozart, impressions of Robert Plant, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and even Chris Rock. He also broke a bit of news, confirming what has been rumored for months - that he is planning another tour with Elton John next year.

"This isn't going to be one of those barroom request nights," he said, answering a question about songs that have the same sentiment today as when he wrote them. Then, he broke into "New York State of Mind," to the obvious delight of the crowd.

The event, a benefit for the 30th anniversary of the Freeport-based Charity Based at Home organization, raised $300,000, according to charityfolks.com, which handled the auction for the night's tickets.

Joel used to do several of these "master's classes" a year, mainly at universities and theaters as benefits. However, before last night's session, which involved far more shouting than the usual shows, he hadn't done one in years.

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