The Piano Man is coming.

Billy Joel, whose song bag and career were most recently in the spotlight when his music served as basis for the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, "Movin' Out," returns to Hawai'i for a single concert Dec. 16 at Blaisdell Arena. Tickets go on sale Saturday.

Joel has earned six Grammy Awards and logged 33 tunes on Billboard's Top 10 charts.

He last performed here in October 1987 at Aloha Stadium, attracting about 25,000 cheering fans. At that time, he was pausing in Hawai'i en route to Down Under gigs after making a historic trek to the Soviet Union. Joel's only other Honolulu gig was at a private Columbia Records event at the Sheraton Waikiki hotel.

When he returns, he'll have new ammo. Joel's current solo tour coincides with the release of a lavish five-disc box set, "My Lives," released by Columbia and Legacy Recordings, and featuring four CDs and one DVD chronicling his career. His latest tour is the first since his 1998-99 world tour, where he gave 64 shows before 1.1 million fans and grossed $47 million, according to Billboard Boxscore.

Over the years, Joel has established a stable of distinguished hits — including "Just the Way You Are," "Piano Man," "My Life," "Honesty," "Uptown Girl," "New York State of Mind," "An Innocent Man," "It's Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me," "She's Got a Way," "Allentown" and "Angry Young Man" — with album sales surpassing 100 million copies.

Bronx-raised Joel teamed with Elton John in concert in 1994, snapping up $46 million from just 24 dates in one of the most lucrative twin bills of pop-music superstars. He also recorded a rare Leningrad tour with a live CD in 1987.

When Twyla Tharp fleshed out a dance-oriented Broadway show featuring Joel's music, it ran for 1,307 performances from October 2002 to its December 2005 closing, earning 10 Tony nominations and Tony Awards for choreography and orchestration.

Joel's concert is being presented in Honolulu by KGMB-9, Marek Lieberberg Presents and Live Nation.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.