Billy Joel - Billy Joel: 'I'm Too Old To Tour'

The Uptown Girl hitmaker stepped away from the spotlight in 2008 after experiencing pain in his hips that left him unable to perform at a high standard, and the thought of that still keeps him from hitting the road.

Joel tells Rolling Stone magazine, "It was agony. At one point I couldn't even walk anymore and I thought, 'Ok, that's it for me. I'm just too old to do this.'

"I had to get hip replacements in both hips, and now slowly but surely I'm kinda (sic) getting back to normal. I'd say I'm 85 per cent. I can walk Ok (but) I can't run like I used to.

"Everyone wants to know, 'Why don't you play more?' Honestly, I'm not as good as I used to be. I'm not as athletic as I used to be. I don't jump off the piano anymore - that didn't help my hips, either. And my voice has changed. It's lowered."

Joel will play a one-off comeback gig at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in Louisiana in April (13).