newsday.com/entertainment/music/ny-etjoel0719,0,6868792.story
Newsday.com
Paul McCartney helps Billy Joel say goodbye to Shea Stadium
BY GLENN GAMBOA
[email protected]12:50 AM EDT, July 20, 2008
" The final concert at Shea Stadium nearly ended as the first show there began in 1965, with Paul McCartney singing over a deafening roar from a stunned, capacity crowd.
Let no one ever say Billy Joel isn't a gracious host. He turned over the final moments of "The Last Play at Shea," as well as his piano, to McCartney, who sang a spirited "Let It Be," following a massive singalong of "Piano Man" from the 63,000 fans gathered for the historic event.
McCartney's "Let It Be" was the biggest of a string of surprises in the three-hour extravaganza that included his reliving the Beatlemania days with a raucous version of "I Saw Her Standing There," a wild "My Generation" from The Who's Roger Daltrey that included Joel smashing a guitar and a powerful "Shameless" from Garth Brooks.
Joel ended the concert era at Shea Stadium with a nod to the past and a celebration of his present, as the uncertain future looms like the newly built walls of Citi Field behind his stage set. "This stadium opened up to play baseball in the year 1964 and that was the first year I joined up in a band," he said. "They're gonna tear this house down but I want to thank you for letting me keep doing this job. It's the best job."
Joel did it well, shining brighter than usual with his expanded backing band and A-list guests, who brought out the best of him.
He strained to pull out a register-stretching version of his doo-wop tribute "This Night," which he dedicated to Little Anthony and The Imperials. "This song had a lot of high notes and I am 59," he added. "That's the last time I'll do that one ... I hope it was wonderful."
Joel dug deep into his vocal reserve to match Brooks on "Shameless." When Tony Bennett came on stage for a stunning "New York State of Mind," Joel's entire demeanor changed, as both singers strived to hit grand notes with their own unique phrasing.
To the fans, Joel is all New York. Laura Wirth, who grew up in Westbury and lives near San Francisco, happened to be back for a visit. "Every time I'm back home I try to do New York things, and what's more New York than Billy Joel at Shea?"
These "Last Play at Shea" concerts were his parties, but Joel was careful to make Shea Stadium's history and his beloved New York the guests of honor -- in the way he tucked a bit of "Spanish Harlem" into "An Innocent Man" or the way he wore a badge from the jacket Ringo Starr wore when he played the first concert at Shea in 1965 or by inviting members of New York's Finest and Bravest, alongside the military to sing the chorus of "Goodnight Saigon."
"Yes, we will all go down together," they sang to an enormous ovation.
It's a powerful message, one that sits at the core of much of Joel's catalog and one that seems to bond him to his fans.
It's why the singalongs on "She's Always a Woman" or "Captain Jack" or "My Life" are as passionate as any in music.
And "Piano Man"? Fuggedaboutit.
Joel made sure "The Last Play at Shea" would be a night to remember. "
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