BILLY JOEL is a true American badass. With four decades of musical output behind him, and a series of legendary personal exploits, there’s little to be said about the Piano Man that would be a just summary of his artistry or career. The bottom line is that Joel rocks, and he knows it. If you like him, great. If not, he doesn’t care. It’s that attitude that makes watching LIVE AT SHEA STADIUM so compelling.
Recorded and filmed over the course of two nights in July, 2008 at the late New York venue, bits of the concert were previously featured in the documentary film THE LAST PLAY AT SHEA, but this is the first time that a proper concert album from the event has been released. Culled from the best performances of each night, ‘SHEA preserves the historic, final concert at the 45-year home of the New York Mets for all to enjoy.
Presented as a three-disc set featuring 2-CD’s and a single DVD (a planned Blu-Ray release has been pushed into April), Joel and his massive show band bring the crowd to its feet with a lengthy greatest hits set, each song introduced by Joel along with the album on which it originally appeared. In addition to welcoming a host of guests to the stage (JOHN MAYER, GARTH BROOKS, TONY BENNETT), Joel graciously turns his stage over to Aerosmith frontman STEVEN TYLER, JOHN MELLENCAMP, and THE WHO’s ROGER DALTREY.
In a move both classy and fitting, Joel invites SIR PAUL McCARTNEY to the stage to perform a trio of hits from THE BEATLES – the band that made Shea famous when they performed there on August 15, 1965 – an event that would forever be known as one of the greatest concerts in history.
Throughout the performance you catch slight glimpses from Joel that could be interpreted as either confidence or arrogance, modesty never an option. His parting words for the crowd? “Don’t take any shit from anyone.” – his famous closing line, the last words to be spoken from the stage.
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Billy Joel – Live At Shea Stadium
CD – tracklisting
Disc 1
1. Prelude/Angry Young Man
2. My Life
3. Summer, Highland Falls
4. Everybody Loves You Now
5. Zanzibar
6. New York State Of Mind (with Tony Bennett)
7. Allentown
8. The Ballad Of Billy The Kid
9. She’s Always A Woman
10. Goodnight Saigon
11. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
12. Shameless (with Garth Brooks)
13. This Is The Time (with John Mayer)
14. Keeping The Faith
Disc 2
1. Captain Jack
2. Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
3. The River Of Dreams/A Hard Day’s Night
4. We Didn’t Start The Fire
5. You May Be Right
6. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
7. Only The Good Die Young
8. I Saw Her Standing There (with Paul McCartney)
9. Take Me Out To The Ballgame
10. Piano Man
11. Let It Be (with Paul McCartney)
DVD/Blu-ray – tracklisting
1. Prelude/Angry Young Man
2. My Life
3. Summer, Highland Falls
4. Everybody Loves You Now
5. Zanzibar
6. New York State Of Mind (with Tony Bennett)
7. Allentown
8. The Ballad Of Billy The Kid
9. She’s Always A Woman
10. Goodnight Saigon
11. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
12. Shameless (with Garth Brooks)
13. This Is The Time (with John Mayer)
14. Keeping The Faith
15. Captain Jack
16. Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
17. The River Of Dreams/A Hard Day’s Night
18. We Didn’t Start The Fire
19. You May Be Right
20. Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
21. Only The Good Die Young
22. I Saw Her Standing There (with Paul McCartney)
23. Take Me Out To The Ballgame
24. Piano Man
25. Let It Be (with Paul McCartney)
DVD/BLU-RAY BONUS PERFORMANCES
Walk This Way (with Steven Tyler)
My Generation (with Roger Daltrey)
Pink Houses (with John Mellencamp)
