LAST PLAY AT SHEA

New York's legendary Shea Stadium is being torn down this year. The new stadium sits directly next door to it, waiting to be used. You can almost imagine the new stadium looking at its watch.

Billy Joel announce he was going to close out the 45 year history of the stadium by playing the last ever concert there. Tickets went on sale and, predictably, sold out in about 3 nanoseconds. So they added a second show. Can you imagine? You buy tickets for the last ever concert at Shea stadium by Billy Joel, who barely ever plays anymore...and then they add another one! I was lucky enough to get tickets to the second show...that is, the REAL final show at Shea. I feel really bad for the people who went Wednesday, thinking they were buying tickets to the last show, but I was thrilled to be at the "real" one.

The night was heavy. It was hot and humid and still. We were drenched in sweat after the 15 minute walk from the subway to the stadium. We climbed up and up and up but the wind never picked up and the air never cooled.

The show started about 50 minutes late. We were simmering in our own sweat. We had heard tell of special guests at Wednesday's show: Don Henley, Tony Bennet, John Mellencamp and John Mayer. To be honest I wasn't too excited by those names and we had no idea what to expect tonight. I joked about Ozzy Osbourne or Alice Cooper. We heard rumors about Paul McCartney and Ringo, but nobody believed it.

Billy came on, looking freaking OLD. He's bald and gray and round and sweaty. He made a comment about the heat and took off with Miami 2017. The band sounded great and Billy was really giving it his all. Then he showed a badge he was wearing and announced that it was Ringo's from that first performance by the Beatles in 1964. A few songs in, he began wiping his sweaty head every 10 seconds until he asked for a wet towel and wore it on his head like an Islamic head scarf for 2 songs. I knew how hot I was and he was up there working in the lights, wearing a jacket. His face beet read, Billy pushed on, cranking out hit after hit, sounding great. The audience reacted Pavlovianly to each mention of New York or a Long Island town, but it's all part of the fun.

For New York State of Mind, Billy introduced Tony Bennet and the crowd erupted. I'm no Tony Bennet fan but I have nothing against him. Tony sang very well and seemed to energize Billy a bit.

More hits followed, along with some lesser known album cuts, to which Billy suggested people go to the bathroom now. What a self-deprecating lug he is!

Then it was time for guest #2....Garth freaking Brooks. The place erupted even more if you can believe it. I was flabbergasted. I didn't even know the guy was still alive. Anyway, he actually performed Shameless with tons of enthusiasm and I thought it was pretty darn good.

Goodnight Saigon is traditionally played with a background chorus of military servicepeople. Tonight was no different and the crowd stood and cheered when they were shown on screen. As an anti-war kind of a guy, I felt a little uncomfortable, but I do understand the concept of respecting the people who think they are trying to protect us. But when the song ended and the crowd spontaneously started chanting "USA! USA! USA!" I felt really out of place and felt the crowd missed the point of the song.

Later, Billy introduced Steven Tyler and the place almost LITERALLY erupted. The noise was deafening. Tyler launched into the fastest, most energetic rendition of Walk This Way I've ever heard. He was magnificent in his makeup and scarves. It was an outstanding performance, if a little out of place with the rest of the night. That song kicked off another hour or so of really high-energy hits that kept the crowd on its feet. We Didn't Start The Fire was visually aided by the literal collection of images describing each thing (birth control/Ho Chi Min/Richard Nixon back again), but it was fun.

A little later Roger Daltry came on out and did My Generation. Again, out of place for the show I thought, but a rousing performance ended by Billy smashing a guitar.

Finally, Billy, covered in sweat, said his goodbyes and left the stage. He didn't even play Piano Man, so we knew better.

He took the stage again for his first encore to introduce Sir Paul McCartney. OK, this was the loudest noise I think I've ever heard. Paul looked great and I've never been to a Paul McCartney concert, so, being a lifelong Beatles fan, this was pretty damn exciting. The closest I ever got was a Ringo show at Jones Beach in the early 90s. He did I Saw Her Standing There and rocked the house. The Beatles opened Shea Stadium and now Paul was at the final show. How cool is that?!

Billy played another song and then left again. Still no Piano Man. He looked so red and swaety and tired, I was beginning to think he wouldn't do it. But this was it. This was the last ever performance at Shea and perhaps the last ever of Billy himself at a venue like this...

Finally, He took the stage again, harmonica in mouth and performed his signature song, Piano Man. I've seen Billy play several times before and I know he lets the audience take a chorus at the end, but imagine all of Shea Stadium, 60,000 people, all singing sans music, the chorus of Piano Man. It was transcendent. Wow. It was over and it was thrilling.

Then Paul came back out to perform Let It Be. Are you serious? Yeah man, Paul McCartney closed the show. The Beatles opened Shea and Paul McCartney closed it. And I was there. It was magical and I know that I will, in the future, tell people that "Yeah, I was there. The FINAL SHOW. I was there."

I finally got home around 3:00am, coated in dried sweat and grime and unloaded of tons of cash ($4.25 for a bottle of water???).

3 hours in the hot hot summer night with Billy Joel, Roger Daltrey, Steven Tyler and Paul McCartney and it was the best concert I've ever seen.