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Billy at Shea:
Oh, What a Night!

Shea Stadium, one of the Tri-State area’s major landmarks and home to the New York Mets will soon be no more. Though it’s sad to say goodbye to such a beloved icon, Shea went out with a pretty historical bang.
The air was hot and heavy; though Shea was packed to the brim with a variety of different people, all expressions remained the same: anxious and elated. Smiles were contagious, and happiness surged throughout the stadium as fans anticipated rocking out to one of Long Island’s best: Billy Joel.
The minutes passed like hours, and after what seemed like an eternity to many, the “Piano Man” appeared. With nothing more than a casual wave and a smile, Joel sat down at the piano and immediately started blowing the audience away as he kicked off the concert with “Angry Young Man.” As his fingers flew across the piano in a blur on the panoramic screens, Joel gave new
meaning to the piano as a percussion instrument; the one-man band had
done it again.
Joel warmed up the audience with a few of his lesser-known hits including “Zanzibar” and “Root Beer Rag.” His comedic anecdotes all contributed to the fluidness of his finesse as a performer, and the audience could not help but eagerly anticipate the speculated climaxes of his concert: visits from potential guests. Whispers echoed through the stadium of other famous stars contributing to Shea’s farewell, and they sat awe-struck by the greatness that is Billy Joel.
“It was as if we all died and went to rock star heaven,” said one fan. Tony Bennett was the first to appear and sing alongside Billy Joel to “New York State of Mind.” Next, the Mets Jersey-clad country star Garth Brooks performed, followed by Steven Tyler who performed “Walk This Way.” The crowd roared as the concert progressed toward Joel’s hit singles, including “River of Dreams,” and “Movin’ Out,” and just when the audience thought the surprises were through, Roger Daltry, lead singer of “The Who,” sang “My Generation.”
Every artist commanded a standing ovation and Billy Joel was no exception, becoming the front-runner of a show of super stardom. Just when the audience least expected, they found out Joel had friends in even “higher places.” There had been a helicopter hovering overhead throughout the show and all couldn’t help but wonder “who could this possibly be?”
Just then, Sir Paul McCartney appeared to help close the concert. Everyone screamed as Joel and McCartney performed side-by-side, “I Waw Her Standing There.” When that performance was through, Joel took a deep breath before he performed the song that had transformed many to become fans: “Piano Man.” As the stadium sang and swayed along, nostalgia and hot dogs were the most potent scents in the air, and a bittersweet sadness lingered as the crowd anticipated the end of an amazing night.
Following Joel’s performance of “Piano Man,” McCartney came back on for one more song: “Let It Be.” A perfect ending to a perfect night, the sun may have set on Shea, but the sentiment remained as all in attendance witnessed history. Billy may have said it best: “Oh, what a night!”

• Erika Brown