Billy Joel and Bryan Adams took the stage outside the Colosseum in Rome Monday night (31JUL06) to the delight of hundreds of thousands of fans. Pianoman Joel, playing in front of a Colosseum lit with purple and yellow lights, performed classic hits such as NEW YORK STATE OF MIND, HONESTY and JUST THE WAY YOU ARE. While introducing one song, he joked in shaky Italian, "This song is as old as the Colosseum!" Canadian rocker Adams, who opened the concert, performed from his collection of hits including RUN TO YOU. Giant screens were set up along Via dei Fori Imperiali, the large boulevard that leads to the Colosseum and is lined with ancient Roman relics, for the throngs of people who could not see the stage. The concert in front of the Colosseum has become a fixture in recent years for performers, including Paul McCartney and SIMON + GARFUNKEL. Organisers put the number of people who turned up for Monday's free concert at half a million.