Exclusive: Billy Joel performs Stiletto in Moscow in 1987 - video

In 1987, Billy Joel became one of the first US rock acts to perform in the USSR since the Berlin Wall was built, playing in Moscow, Leningrad and Tblisi – and losing more than $1m of his own money in the process. He later recalled that every time the crowd were caught in the lights, they froze – for fear of drawing the attention of security officials. Now an album and DVD/BluRay set of the tour, The Bridge to Russia, featuring both a concert film and a documentary, is being released – and we've got this exclusive performance.

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