The stars come out at Shea Stadium
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- July
- 19
Pledging never to step foot in Shea Stadium again was not a good idea. Did you see who showed up at the Billy Joel concerts on Wednesday and Friday?
Tony Bennett, John Mellencamp, Don Henley and John Mayer were on hand the first night. Last night featured Roger Daltry, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney. Not bad. (Alert readers say that Steven Tyler was there, too.)
Of course it doesn’t approach Bob Dylan showing up to do a song at Shea with Bruce in 2003. But still.
It’s too bad the Yankees didn’t schedule some sort of concert at the Stadium this summer. It has never been much of a music venue, but there have been some memorable shows over the years including Joel, U2 and Pink Floyd.
How is it that Springsteen has played assorted ballparks around the country including Shea, Fenway, PNC and Dodger Stadium and not played Yankee Stadium? He is a Yankee fan after all.
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on Saturday, July 19th, 2008 at 9:30 am by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
Pete-
You forgot Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler. He was there too
Some things defy reason.
Dear Pete,
Dear Pete, Please forgive my omission…I agree with you and will schedule the other “Boss” immediately. Thank you for all you do for Yankee fans, the bedrock of this great nation. GS
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/19/nyregion/19joel.html/partner/rssnyt?_r=1&oref=slogin
But late on Friday night, nearly three hours into a career-spanning performance advertised as the last concert at Shea before it was to be demolished, Mr. Joel seemed happy to turn over the spotlight to Paul McCartney, who, he said, had just flown in from London.
The sold-out crowd of 55,000 people let out an ear-splitting roar as Mr. McCartney sang the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There,†with Mr. Joel singing backup and, fitting his reputation as a self-deprecating rock star, looking on from his piano as if he were just another fan himself.
Before beginning “Let It Be,†Mr. McCartney alluded to the Beatles’ first concert at Shea in 1965, the year after the stadium opened.
“It’s so cool to be back here on the last night,†he said. “Been here a long time ago — we had a blast that night, and we’re having another one tonight.â€
The concert was the second of two farewell shows by Mr. Joel, who told the crowd earlier in the night: “They’re tearing this house down. I want to thank you for letting me do the job and keep doing it — the best job in the world.â€
Mr. McCartney wasn’t the only big guest. The country star Garth Brooks, dressed in a Mets T-shirt, sang Mr. Joel’s “Shameless,†which was a big hit for Mr. Brooks; Steven Tyler of Aerosmith performed “Walk This Way;†and Roger Daltrey of the Who — which played at Shea in 1982 — sang “My Generation†as Mr. Joel smashed a guitar on the center-field stage.
I think McCartney showing up for Joel tops Dylan/Springsteen. I mean, we’re talking a real live Beatle here.
Springsteen showed up to a record signing in Red Bank wearing a Sox cap, and, when he played Fenway, tried to “exorcise the demons” to remove the curse. If he’s a Yankee fan he’s about as hypocritical of one as you can be. Then again, what would you expect of a guy from Freehold who talks like an Okie, or a guy who hangs his hat in the most private and exclusive places on the Jersey Shore then hits the road as a working class hero.
Besides, if you’d seen U2’s Zoo TV tour, you’d know that no concert could ever top it (unless Sinatra returned from the grave).
i was at the show last night and it was something i will never forget.
I was at the Wed. night concert. Everyone in the audience thought MacCartney was going to show up for the encore… either him or, I thought, Springsteen. But Tony Bennet was great and got a huge ovation when he came on stage. A memorable concert overall.
Bruce is almost as overrated as Nirvana
McCartney!
Very fitting, and I wish I was there!!!!
“Springsteen showed up to a record signing in Red Bank wearing a Sox cap, and, when he played Fenway, tried to “exorcise the demons†to remove the curse. If he’s a Yankee fan he’s about as hypocritical of one as you can be.”
Wow, Springsteen is almost a bigger clown than Mayor Guliani.
Both are jokes.
I’d rather see Joel, Daltrey, Tyler, and McCartney over Springsteen and Dylan any day. Not all of us think Bruce is God’s gift to music.
why has pete pledged never to step foot into shea ever again?
I’m a huge Bruce fan….but I was there last night and Billy Joel + Mccartney at Shea tops any Bruce/Dylan combo or any other combo for that matter…..it was the show of a lifetime.
I was there on Wednesday night. I was really hoping McCartney would be there. It was a bit of a dissapointment hearing he was there for last nights concert. What could you do? It was still the greatest concert I’ve ever been to.
Maybe because Springsteen’s politics don’t exactly fit with George Steinbrenner’s?
Don Capone, you are correct. I like Bruce but his total body of work is not equal to Billy Joel. And Sir Paul? Gimme a break.
Pete, don’t give up hope! I hear that conversations have taken place (Bruce at the Stadium), and it doesn’t look too good right now, but that may change.
Couldn’t they plant some rappers into performing for the younger audience?
half-all of these singers aren’t interesting.
“Pete, don’t give up hope! I hear that conversations have taken place (Bruce at the Stadium), and it doesn’t look too good right now, but that may change.”
Well – the way things look now – Bruce can play a lot of dates at the stadium in October.
*Grabs coat/hat and runs to the door*