Billy Joel’s historic “Last Play at Shea” concert Friday night only goes to prove that when you give, you end up getting so much back in return.
The gesture of having Paul McCartney – who proved rock and roll was bigger than anyone ever imagined and launched the era of stadium rock in 1965 when he and The Beatles played Shea – perform “Let It Be” as the final song ever for the venue was a generous one, not just to McCartney, who performed graciously, and the screaming, stunned capacity crowd gathered for history, but, really, to anyone who pays attention to such things.
No one would have argued with Shea’s musical swan song to be the his grand “Piano Man,” sung by Joel, backed by his amazing, 21-piece backing band, and a sold-out stadium that he had feeling alright. It was, after all, his night, one he earned – both with his impressive three-hour performance and his just as impressive four-decade career that chronicled New York and Long Island like no other rock artist has or ever will.
His “Last Play at Shea” was a far more fitting tribute to the stadium and to the area than a McCartney show could ever have been, because Joel’s music, his influences and his inspirations, are steeped in the same traditions, the same struggles and triumphs, as the millions who have filled Shea year after year since 1964. As legendary and singular as McCartney is, it’s one thing that he cannot match. (And congratulations to The Mets organization for recognizing that.)
There was a moment when Joel was singing harmony on “I Saw Her Standing There” and looking over at McCartney when he seemed to feel the enormity of the moment, when he was living out the dream for millions around the world who were inspired by The Beatles to form a rock and roll band.
But McCartney wasn’t the only guest who seemed to bring out the best in Joel. He was clearly in a duel with the master Tony Bennett during “New York State of Mind,” with each offering up the best vocals they could deliver, raising what has become the city’s equivalent of “The National Anthem” to an even higher level. When Garth Brooks arrived to belt out a gorgeous version of “Shameless,” Joel adapted to his vocals to the countrified setting as well. And, really, how could he not smash a guitar as he backed up Roger Daltrey during a raucous “My Generation”?
Those high points were only pushed that much higher by the powerful foundation Joel and his band laid during the rest of the evening. His encores “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” and “Only the Good Die Young” never sounded better, maybe because of the anticipation of what was coming next. But Joel’s tender side – in “She’s Always a Woman” and “Lullaby,” especially – also showed that even though, as he often points out, he hasn’t put out a new album of music in 15 years, he continues to improve in a lot of ways.
In the ways where age has taken on its toll – the upper-end of his register, for example – he decided to gut it out Friday night, bringing home his doo-wop tribute “This Night” and going after the high notes in “An Innocent Man” with a mix of a boxer’s grit and an artist’s savvy.
Joel played as if there wasn’t a tomorrow that anyone needed to worry about. Maybe we will, as the main set’s emotional centerpiece “Goodnight Saigon” proclaimed, all go down together. But, as Joel’s once-in-a-lifetime performance Friday night showed, sometimes perfect moments fall unexpectedly into your lap and only those who hung on get to enjoy them. Both Joel and McCartney deserve a week’s worth of screaming, Shea Stadium-sized crowds for reminding us all that sometimes dreams really do come true.
SETLIST: The National Anthem / Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Down on Broadway) / Angry Young Man / Yankee Doodle Dandy/My Life / The Entertainer / Summer, Highland Falls / Zanzibar / Allentown / The Ballad of Billy the Kid / New York State of Mind (w/Tony Bennett) / Root Beer Rag / Movin’ Out / Goodnight Saigon / Don’t Ask Me Why / This Night / Keeping the Faith / The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ / Spanish Harlem/Under the Boardwalk/An Innocent Man / Shameless (w/Garth Brooks) / She’s Always a Woman / Captain Jack / Lullaby / River of Dreams/A Hard Day’s Night / Walk This Way (w/Steven Tyler) / We Didn’t Start the Fire / It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me / My Generation (w/Roger Daltrey) / You May Be Right // ENCORES: Scenes from an Italian Restaurant / Only the Good Die Young / I Saw Her Standing There (w/Paul McCartney) / Piano Man / Let It Be (w/Paul McCartney)
PHOTO: Billy Joel at Shea Stadium Friday night by Ari Mintz for Newsday.