The upcoming tour marks Joel's first major solo outing since his 1998-99 trek, during which he played for 1.1 million fans over the course of 64 shows, and grossed $47 million, according to a press release.

Since then, Joel's major concert appearances have generally been co-headlining dates with fellow singer/pianist Elton John. The two last toured together in 2003, and grossed $46 million from just 24 shows.

Joel has concentrated on composing classical music in recent years, and it was generally believed that he had retired from the pop music scene. But Joel, in an appearance that aired Friday (11/25) on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," said he never meant to insinuate that he was walking away from his pop career.

"What I said ... was that I didn't want to do these long, grueling tours anymore," Joel explained. "I have been touring 35 years now, and I just got tired of the long tours--9 months, [a] year-and-a-half on the road. I just got too homesick and, it is too strange of a life. So, I said, 'I'm not going to do these long tours anymore.' So, I stopped and just started doing a few concerts in a small amount of time."

Joel also told DeGeneres that he hasn't stopped writing rock songs.

"As far as rock-and-roll writing, I started writing different kinds of music--classical music, movie sound tracks, more instrumental music," he said. "It doesn't mean I stopped writing songs. If I get a good idea for a song, I'm going to write it. I'm not going to stop myself, but I just got tired of being in the rock-and-roll rat race. I didn't want to have to be competing with radio stations: 'Are they going to play your record? Do you have the number one hit?' I have done that already. I don't feel like I have to prove anything."

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

[Editor's Note: This story and itinerary were updated Nov. 29 to reflect the correct date of Joel's Phoenix concert.]