Google collects a treasure trove of data every year, and among these findings are geographical search trends that pinpoint exactly what was on the minds of residents in a given area. As the year comes to a close, we examined Google’s analytics to determine what Baltimore—and Maryland—was interested in most in 2019. Here are a few notable queries presented in no particular order.

The Ravens

It’s no wonder that Baltimore’s football team is a top city and Maryland trend. They’re having a historic season, led by electrifying MVP candidate Lamar Jackson, and debuting exciting new technological stadium features that enhance the game day experience. There are plenty of good stories surrounding this Ravens team— which has been nothing but a bright spot for the city this season. And given that they’ve clinched a home field advantage and the No.1 seed in the AFC, it’s fair to assume that they’ll again be one of Baltimore’s most buzzed about searches in 2020.

Billy Joel at Camden Yards

Who better to make Camden Yards history than Billy Joel? The Piano Man rocked the home of the Orioles this summer in the first-ever Camden Yards concert that could be a catalyst for future shows at the ballpark.

The Choptank

Atlas Restaurant Group came under fire for what was seen as a problematic dress code at one of its newest spots, The Choptank, which took over the south shed of Broadway Market in Fells Point. For a few weeks in September, it was a hot button topic across the city. It made headlines yet again when The Sun published a harsh review of the restaurant a month later.

Baltimore Homicide Rate

Unfortunately, Baltimore’s homicide rate rose again in 2019 to record numbers. There are reports that the number is the highest it has ever been, recently surpassing 2017. It’s sure to be a frequent topic as 2020—a mayoral election year—approaches.

Bay Bridge Traffic

Every summer, Baltimoreans make the pilgrimage across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to the Eastern Shore. Since beach traffic can be heavily congested, it’s clear that they wanted to be up to date on how long it takes to make the trip. The bridge will be a hot button topic of conversation in 2020 as talk about expanding it to include a third span will be up for debate. And though it might be winter, it’s never too early to start daydreaming of warmer days—peruse our guide to the Eastern Shore and start making a to-do list.

Popeyes

The nature of the Internet is such that sometimes things catch fire without much of an explanation. That’s exactly what happened this summer when a great chicken sandwich war was waged on social media. The viral debates came after Popeyes released a raved-about chicken sandwich to mania and long lines across the country. In its wake came passionate arguments about who has the best chicken sandwich among fast food chains. We think they’re all well and good, but frankly, between Royal Farms and BRD, Baltimore has plenty that can stack up to anything Popeye’s serves.

President Trump’s Comments About Baltimore

Baltimore was at the center of the political sphere a few times this year. Perhaps the most high profile example came when President Trump verbally attacked the city and the late Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, calling Baltimore “rat infested” and Cummings “racist.” In September, citizens came together to defend their city and gave Trump a spirited welcome when he came to visit for a Republican conference.

Sadly, about a month later, Congressman Cummings passed away from longstanding health complications. Political dignitaries came to pay their respects at his funeral as the city mourned its longtime representative. And just this month, things came full circle as Nancy Pelosi addressed Cummings directly in her remarks about the House of Representatives’ vote to impeach President Trump.

“There’s one person who isn’t with us in this room, but I know was present all day for the deliberations,” Pelosi said about Cummings at a press conference following the vote earlier this month. “He said, ‘When we’re dancing with the angels the question will be, what did you do to make sure we kept our democracy intact?’ We did all we could, Elijah. We passed the two articles of impeachment.”

Like all of us, Billy Joel is only human. At 70 years old, the bushy black hair he once had on his iconic 1970s and 1980s album covers is long gone, and he’s now married for the fourth time. His body is a little bit rounder, his voice just a little more gravely, and his high notes a little lower—though he’s said that he’s never considered himself a great singer anyway.

Of course, critics have always tried to take shots at the man who is one of the best-selling artists of all-time, who has made 12 studio albums, and has been nominated for 23 Grammys, as well as inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He’s too pop, they say, and some of his lyrics are cheesy. Just a few months back, one Twitter user even went viral for asking: “Is Billy Joel good or bad?”

To that we say, sing us a song, please, he’s the Piano Man.

After seeing Joel at Camden Yards over the weekend, the first-ever standalone concert in the ballpark’s 27-year history, I can safely say that, even to this millennial, he’s still got it. He’s not jumping around the stage like a wild man anytime soon and hasn’t recorded a hit song in two decades, but, man, can he tell a meaningful story, and sing a catchy tune, from his seat at the piano.

What’s more, Joel’s two-and-a-half hour, two dozen-song performance on Friday night did us all a favor that lasts beyond one show. It proved that the home of the Orioles is a capable big-time live music venue for more concerts in the future.

Now, I can’t go on without telling you: I’m from Long Island, originally, so in addition to having bagels and pizza in my blood, I feel as if I’m related to Billy Joel, who grew up 25 minutes from where I did. He’s like the embodiment of my homeland, famously telling the world everyman stories of our Italian restaurants, teenage years, and New York states of mind as only a proud son can. I’d have been happy to hear him play piano and sing in the seediest bar or darkest alley you can imagine.

And I typically attend Orioles games either for work or as a fan, so when it was announced that Joel would be performing at the stadium this summer, I immediately knew that I wasn’t going to miss the chance to join the approximately 40,000 others in attendance who listened to him deliver hit after hit with his ebony and ivory instrument—rather than hearing the crack of the wooden baseball bats that usually do the work in Oriole Park.

The stage in centerfield. The speaker towers on the infield. The bright lights turned off for the evening. Guys selling concert T-shirts outside. It was groundbreaking stuff for the venue—an “I was there,” event that grew in enjoyment as the hands of the Orioles’ scoreboard clock turned in the night.

Perhaps the most indelible moment came during the most signature of Joel’s ballads, when against the backdrop of the darkened stadium dotted with light from just enough smartphones, the a capella voices from the crowd sang the lyrics of “Piano Man” back to him: “We’re all in the mood for a melody. . . ” The communal experience felt needed, and this was before the president’s Saturday morning tweets about this city.

Maybe, in the grand scheme of things, the event was a reason to get people to the stadium during the summer of a less-than-compelling baseball season. And maybe Joel was a safe pick for the occasion—a seasoned headliner who is basically a performer-in-residence at Madison Square Garden—who would no doubt attract fans to the city on a Friday evening. There are definitely flashier performers who skew younger and can do more than twirl a microphone stand when they’re not seated at the piano.

But, so what?

“Welcome to the first concert at Camden Yards!” Joel bellowed after playing his second song, “Pressure.” After that, he transitioned into a brief cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” acknowledging the renewed popularity of the Queen opus thanks to the recent movie of the same name, and then told a story about opening for Hall & Oates in the 1970s in Baltimore, which led to an impromptu cover of “Rich Girl.”

From there, it was mostly him, running through his own deep catalogue of tunes like “The Entertainer,” “Vienna,” and “Movin’ Out.” And as he typically does between songs, Joel delivered funny, tried-but-true asides, like a spot-on impersonation of Elton John, and one-liner quips like “This song’s from 19-who-the-hell knows” and “It might be a good time to go to the bathroom” when he played the relatively lesser-known “Big Man on Mulberry Street.” The joy in the stadium was palpable.

Now, not everything about the night was perfect. Anyone who struggled to move on the overcrowded concourse or along the packed aisles before the concert’s scheduled 8 p.m. start time would tell you that. (Unsolicited recommendation for next time: create more paths to funnel floor-seat ticketholders to the field faster, as that bottleneck seemed to fuel the backup.) Those who were told to check their bag as a result of a surprise strict policy weren’t happy either, especially anyone who had to wait until near midnight to retrieve their belongings afterwards.

But, logistical nightmares aside, it was a fun night, the type that could happen again at Camden Yards, possibly by next year, according to Orioles spokesperson Greg Bader. The team’s vice president of communications and marketing was among those enjoying himself that night, standing on the temporary white flooring about 40 rows back from the stage, right about where Adam Jones used to line up in centerfield.

“You’ll certainly see other events like this at the ballpark,” says Bader. “It was great to see so many people downtown, wandering around the area, eating at restaurants and staying over in hotels. And then selling out the concert. It was a great, great night.”

Joel’s talented band also gave a few nods to Baltimore. Backup singer Crystal Taliefero belted a passionate cover of “Dancing in the Street,” including the cheer-inducing line “Baltimore and D.C. now.” Drummer Chuck Burgi wore a No. 19 Orioles’ home jersey with his last name on it during the show. Trumpet player Carl Fischer donned a black Os jersey during the five-song encore that started with 1989’s Grammy-nominated, “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

By then, the crowd was juiced, but alas, it was soon time to go. Fantastically, though, as we headed back to the parking lot, I heard one more song that set a romantic scene. In the distance, sounding like it was coming from the Hamburg Street light rail station, a lone saxophone played the notes to none other than “Piano Man,” once again.

And, in my mind, I hummed to myself—critics and any ridiculous cheesiness be damned:

“And you’ve got us feeling all right.”

For the first time in more than 25 years, Oriole Park at Camden Yards is hosting a concert at the iconic stadium. And, luckily for us, the Os booked one of the few acts worthy of such a momentous occasion—the Piano Man.

In honor of Billy Joel’s return to Baltimore for the July 26 concert, we devised a few (maybe unrealistic) ways that Charm City should roll out the red carpet for one of the best-selling performers of all time.

Since it opened 27 years ago, Camden Yards has attracted more than 100 million visitors to downtown Baltimore to attend baseball games. Now the Orioles are hoping to generate additional tourism for a very different reason.

With the launch of Orioles Entertainment, Orioles executive vice president John Angelos announced that legendary singer-songwriter Billy Joel will play the first-ever concert at Camden Yards on July 26. Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, January 18.

“We’ve been very active in drawing people to Baltimore and also been very active on the media front in TV and radio,” Angelos said. “The one thing we haven’t done is diversify in other entertainment fronts. The opportunity now is to take the next step and we look forward to great Billy Joel coming to Camden Yards this summer.”

The Orioles have been in talks with LiveNation for years about the possibility of bringing a concert to Camden Yards, ever since Joel started his stadium tour six years ago. The last time the Piano Man was in Baltimore, he played a two-hour-plus set at M&T Bank Stadium in 2015.

“Being completely serious, it has been our dream to play Camden Yards since his tour began,” said LiveNation COO Wilson Howard. “Billy’s agent called John Angelos first and said they’d really love to do it. This was the year we were able to work it out.”

Asked about the timing of this announcement—following the Orioles year-long slump and and record-low attendance, Angelos said that this has been a long-time coming.

“I think you do this in a down year, middle year, or up year on the field,” he said.
“In a lot of ways, we owe it to the city and state.”

Joel’s summer run is a part of an eight-stadium tour, which also includes Madison Square Garden in New York City and Wembley Stadium in London. The capacity for a concert at Camden Yards will be relatively more intimate at just 37,000.

“I’ve been thinking, Billy Joel, Camden Yards, Baltimore, doesn’t get much better than that,” said Howard. “Billy’s concerts aren’t just musical concerts—they are events.”

Angelos said that this announcement is hopefully “the first of many,” and the idea is that Orioles Entertainment will bring more emerging artist to play post-game show on Fridays and Saturdays.

“To start with a legend like Billy is a great opportunity,” said Angelos, who mentioned the last time he saw the singer in concert was 30 years ago. “We want to know who else the fans want to see. There are other creative events we could put on in the concourse or the parking lots. Really, the sky’s the limit.”