Elton John Billy Joel Conce.JPG

He even gets his own logo: Billy Joel, regular 2014 attraction at MSG.

(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

The Knicks. The Rangers. The New York Liberty. And now... Billy Joel?

It's true. At a press conference held this morning — and attended by Governor Cuomo — Madison Square Garden officially named the pianist and hit songwriter its "fourth franchise." The Manhattan arena even unveiled an official logo for Billy Joel that'll adorn marketing materials alongside those for the sports teams that call the Garden home.

In exchange, the Long Island native has agreed to play the Garden every month from here until eternity, or until fans stop showing up — which, given his immense popularity in New York, is unlikely to happen anytime soon. The open-ended series of shows kicks off on Jan. 27, and includes a 65th birthday celebration on May 9. (Other announced Billy Joel concerts: Feb. 3, Mar. 21, Apr. 19.) Tickets for the first four shows are already sold out; tickets for the birthday show go on sale to the general public on Dec. 7 at 10 a.m. The man who once memorably sang about the impermanence of the pop singer on "The Entertainer" has become a fixture as sturdy as the street sign at the corner of 32nd and 7th Ave.

Arguably, that happened long ago, and the Garden was merely confirming something that rock fans have acknowledged for decades. Billy Joel is New York — his songs are as deeply woven into the fabric of the city as Springsteen's are on this side of the Hudson. "Turnstiles," the 1976 album that includes "New York State of Mind," is a collection of Empire State vignettes both meditative ("Summer, Highland Falls") and speculative ("Miami 2017"). Joel followed up "Turnstiles" with two smash hit albums of New York storytelling: "The Stranger," which contained Anthony and Mama Leone's Greenwich Village lament "Movin' Out" and the indelible "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant," and "52nd Street," a series of colorful fantasies about city life. Years later, these songs would form the backbone of a long-running Broadway musical based on Joel's catalog.

Whenever New York City has needed assistance, Joel has brought his piano to the Garden. He raised spirits — and money — at both the Concert for New York held in the wake of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and at the 12-12-12 Concert for Hurricane Sandy recovery.

Joel spoke briefly at the press conference, noting both the 46 concerts he's already played at the arena (including a 12-show sold-out stand in 2006) and the powerful relationship he's been able to cultivate with his New York fans. He addressed the Garden brass and the governor humbly, and said he hoped he lived up to the faith in him that this unprecedented arrangement implies. Nobody seemed worried. A Billy Joel banner already hangs in the rafters at the Garden alongside those of retired athletes. He's earned it — and it looks like he's going to keep right on earning it.

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