New York City and Philadelphia will see plenty of Billy Joel [ tickets ] in early 2006, as the piano man continues adding shows to his engagements in both cities.

The Big Apple native has announced a sixth performance on his home turf, set for Feb. 16 at Madison Square Garden, and has tacked a March 20 Philly show to his stand in that city, which now comprises four performances. Tickets for both new shows, as well as those for previously announced stops in the Ft. Lauderdale area; Hartford, CT; and Syracuse, NY; will hit the box office Saturday (12/10).

Joel, who has been rolling out dates for his upcoming tour in drips and drabs, will be jetting back and forth between several Northeast cities for much of early 2006, as his multi-night engagements are largely comprised of non-consecutive shows. Details are included in the itinerary shown below.

The tour marks Joel's first since his 1998-99 headlining run. Since then, his major concert appearances have mostly been co-headlining affairs with fellow singer/pianist Elton John.

Late last month, Columbia Records issued "My Lives," a four-disc collection that clocks in at more than five hours, and chronicles Joel's career "from his early '60s Long Island bar bands through his biggest hits to his most recent classical compositions," according to a press release. The set includes demos, live cuts, alternate takes, covers and more.

"I wanted some more obscure things to be represented on this set," Joel said in a press release. "I said, 'Let's dig into the tapes, the B-sides, the recording sessions and movie songs, things that had never been released officially.'"

In addition to the audio discs, the set includes a DVD of Joel's June 18, 1994 concert in Frankfurt, Germany. More details about the set are posted at his website.