Posted by TerriD on July 19, 2008 at 23:29:01:
In Reply to: McCartney with Billy Joel at Shea posted by Don Tandler on July 19, 2008 at 13:39:59:
The " Last Play at Shea " Concert was a night I will never forget. The crowd welcomed Billy Joel and all of his guests with great appreciation. It was a sweltering night. The noise was absolutely deafening. The fans were similar to baseball spectators. There were chants of " Billy , Billy" and " Let's Go Billy" at times during the show.
It was funny because the fans in my section kept up with the Mets & Yankees scores via text messages. They were typical New Yorkers who love their sports teams.
Tony Bennett was the first guest and sang "NY State of Mind" with Billy. Throughout the concert, when Billy Joel needed a rest from singing, the fans took over and would sing his songs with loud enthusiasm. Fans were singing all of his songs with great passion.
The next performer was Garth Brooks who was welcomed warmly and sang " Shameless." Then Steven Tyler rocked Shea Stadium with "Walk This Way." Roger Daltrey sang "My Generation" to an excited crowd.
At one point, Billy Joel came to the end of the stage and looked out and said, " You're that chef I watch on TV. My wife is a chef and she is sitting over there." Everyone laughed.
When the show appeared to be near completion, Paul McCartney appeared on stage to a stunned crowd to sing, " I Saw Her Standing There." We realized that Billy Joel would be back to perform "Piano Man" as an encore. But most believed that was the end of the show. Then Paul McCartney came back to sing "Let It Be." You almost couldn't believe your eyes.
Throughout the entire night, everyone was dancing, singing, laughing, and smiling. The whole performance became a part of you. Despite the three hour concert, you just did not want it to end.