As Kyle mentioned in his newsfeed a few days back, Shea Stadium in cooperation with their major proprietor, Major League Baseball's New York Mets are hosting New York legend, and RABID Yankees fan, Billy Joel to play the last concert at the legendary stadium.
Opened in 1964 in Flushing, Queens, Shea Stadium has played gracious host to a number of memorable and note-worthy musical performances. Argueably the most famous large-scale concert in music history took place at Shea when in 1965, a quartet from England named The Beatles opened their North American tour at Shea to a then record indoor audiance of 55,600. This was the first time at that a concert was attempted at a major outdoor stadium and the show set both the afformentioned attendence and revenue recrods. The Beatles returned in 1966 for an encore and did quite well at that one as well.
Along with The Beatles, Grand Funk Railroad, Bruce Springsteen, Jethro Tull, The Who, The Clash, Simon & Garfunkel, The Police, R.E.M., The Rolling Stones and the double-bill of Elton John and Eric Clapton have filled the baseball stadium.
Billy Joel will take music to the open-air Queens venue one last time on July 16th. In a press release, Joel said, "It’s an honor to help throw Shea the ultimate concert farewell party. As a sports fan and a music lover, I will always have a place for Shea Stadium in my heart. I thank the Mets for giving me and my fans a chance to rock Shea Stadium one last time for the ages.”
The farewell concert will take place the night after the 2008 MLB All-Star Game…taking place down the road, in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium. Yes, the subways will certainly suck that weekend, no doubt. Remind me to get my bike tire fixed.
Regardless if I can end up scoring a ticket (WHICH IS WILL, DAMMIT!!), I will give a crowd report to Rockworms LIVE from Shea. If I am not too hung-over from the All-Star Game after-party at Jeter's flat. After seeing Billy in L.A. in 2006, I have learned that the man has the uncanny ability to move you through words, secretly release $12 tickets online for me (Thanks again!!!) and find room in a ballad to place the phrase "real-estate novelist" and make it work. I Freakin' Love Billy Joel.
