Billy Joel Sends Off Shea With A Little Help From His Friends

I have to confess that I’m neither a New Yorker, nor a Billy Joel fan. But you couldn’t have picked a more perfect guy to send off New York’s Shea Stadium in the sort of style that the structure which has made so much history throughout the years -- with everything from baseball to the Beatles -- demands.

If Shea Stadium isn’t a New York institution, I simply couldn’t tell you what is. And love him or hate him, Billy Joel is a guy who is just about as New York as it gets. For those in need of a point of reference, I would simply point you towards Joel’s quintessential “New York State Of Mind,” (which Joel performed at the concert with another American institution, the great Tony Bennett), Nuff’ said already.

Still, closing down the venerable Shea before it gets converted into whatever sort of corporate branded condo/retail/entertainment complex the developing geniuses in the Big Apple have in mind was no small task. On Friday night, and much to his credit, Joel didn’t just deliver – he delivered big.

He also brought along “a little help from his friends,” including no less than Paul McCartney himself. Referring to that historic Beatles concert at Shea so many years ago, McCartney said, “Been here a long time ago — we had a blast that night, and we’re having another one tonight.” McCartney then wowed the crowd in the encores with the Beatles classics “Let it Be,” and “I Saw Her Standing There.”

Joel was also joined at various points during the show by an impressive array of guests including Garth Brooks, Tony Bennett, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, and the Who’s Roger Daltrey. But from an historical perspective, it just doesn’t get much more poignant than McCartney.

As I said, I’m neither a New Yorker, nor a big Billy Joel fan. But when that venerable structure goes, so will a good chunk of American history. And Billy done did that stadium proud on Friday night. With a little help from his friends.

SETLIST:

Star Spangled Banner
Miami 2017 (I've Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
Prelude/Angry Young Man
My Life
The Entertainer
Summer, Highland Falls
Zanzibar
Allentown
Ballad of Billy the Kid
New York State of Mind (with Tony Bennett)
Root Beer Rag
Goodnight Saigon
Don't Ask Me Why
Keeping The Faith
The Downeaster "Alexa"
This Night
Movin' Out
Under The Boardwalk/An Innocent Man
Shameless (with Garth Brooks)
She's Always A Woman
Captain Jack
Lullabye
River of Dreams/A Hard Days Night
Walk This Way (with Steven Tyler)
We Didn't Start The Fire
It's Still Rock 'n Roll To Me
My Generation (with Roger Daltrey)
You May Be Right

First Encore:

Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
Only The Good Die Young

Second Encore:

I Saw Her Standing There (with Paul McCartney)
Piano Man
Let It Be (with Paul McCartney)