Billy Joel staged his first performance in 20 years Saturday night at the Blaisdell Arena. ANDREW SHIMABUKU | The Honolulu Advertiser

The stage set was a simple one, coming on the heels of U2, but Joel's charisma needs no adornment. Beyond the lighting, the only bit of mechanical wonder on stage was his Steinway piano that oscillated periodically during the show.

The lights came up on Joel, attired in sports coat, T-shirt and jeans, as he machine-gunned through the opening notes of "Angry Young Man."

He hardly looked at the audience through the first two songs, but upon the conclusion of "My Life," he turned his charm loose on the throng.

"I'm Billy Joel's dad, Billy should be out in a little while," Joel said straight-faced, before going off on a bit about how he appreciated all those who bought seats in the back row: "You wouldn't believe how much my car insurance is."

Joel then continued through his hit list, in the exact order you can find them on his new double album "12 Gardens

Live," which took something away from the spontaneity of the show, but nothing away from the quality.

The fun of his act is that you would imagine he is exactly the same as he was back when he was playing smoky bars for $20 plus tips. When he doesn't have to be focusing on the ivories, he turns his gaze to the crowd and seems to really connect with individuals.

Along with his honest appreciation of his fans is his ability to never take himself seriously. During "New York State of Mind," he sang the chorus off-key the first couple times just to goof on himself before nailing it on the final run.

Or the pokes he took at himself over his love songs as he let us all know for which ex-wife they had been written.

" 'I said I love you, and that's forever' ... which I guess means about 10 years," said Joel, mocking himself after singing "Just the Way You Are," a song he wrote for ex-wife Elizabeth Weber.

Another nod he gave to his early days was allowing the fans to pick which "mushy gushy" song he would play: "Honesty" or "Just the Way You Are."

When the majority roared out for the latter, he expressed his appreciation with another bit of humor.

"Good, cause frankly I was full of s--- when I wrote that song," Joel said of "Honesty," to howls from the crowd.

Despite his command of the fans, the first time they really came to their feet was when he announced that because it was the end of the tour, he was going to let the guitar tech sing a religious song he had been begging to perform.

Joel came out from behind his piano and grabbed a guitar and launched into the opening chords of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" while from back stage emerged Chainsaw, the roadiest roadie you have ever seen. With a sleeveless black T-shirt and body built by Doritos and Mountain Dew, Chainsaw did an admirable job with the song, while Joel paced the stage clowning with his guitar.

From there Joel began a power set, tearing through "We Didn't Start the Fire," "Big Shot" and concluding the show with "You May Be Right."

And though it had been 20 years since Joel last played O'ahu, everyone knew the finale came too soon, and after five minutes of screaming and cell phone waving, Joel returned for three more tunes, finishing off with "Piano Man."

As I gazed around at the eclectic crowd, which included Temple Emanu-El's Rabbi Peter Schaktman, a lyric of Joel's seemed to sum up the night.

"I'd rather laugh with sinners than cry with the saints. The sinners are much more fun."