''The Last Play at Shea'' is a 2010 American documentary film written by Mark Monroe, directed by Paul Crowder, produced by Steve Cohen and Nigel Sinclair, in conjunction with Billy Joel's Maritime Pictures and Spitfire Films. The film is centered on Billy Joel's 2008 concerts of the same name that occurred at

Shea Stadium Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City.

. The shows were staged on July 16 and 18, 2008, before a combined 110,000 fans, and were the last performances ever to play the historic stadium before it was demolished. The film debuted at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...

on April 26, 2010. The film was released on DVD on February 8, 2011. The CD and DVD from the show were released on March 8, 2011 by Sony. The film premiered on August 21, 2010 at

Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York City, United States. It opened in 2009 and is the home field of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. The stadium was built as a replacement for the adjacent ...

, Shea Stadium's successor, in front of around 20,000 moviegoers. Earlier that day, Joel watched it himself and there was an announcement from him that he liked it and said "I haven't puked from it," which was shown right before the film.

Synopsis

The 90-minute film uses historical footage and animation. It uses the concerts to tell a broader story of Shea Stadium's history and how that related to changes that occurred in American suburban life and how they affected Long Island and Billy Joel. The film reveals several previously unknown facts. Pete Flynn was a Shea groundskeeper who did the improbable by driving the Beatles from the stage to a centerfield gate in 1965, then driving Paul McCartney from the stadium's rear entrance to the stage to perform at Billy Joel's "Last Play at Shea" concert 43 years later in 2008.

Musicians

* Billy Joel - piano, harmonica, vocals *

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...

– vocal - "

New York State of Mind "New York State of Mind" is a song written by Billy Joel that initially appeared on the album '' Turnstiles'' in 1976. Although it was never released as a single, it has become a fan favorite and a song that Joel plays regularly in concert. Joe ...

" * Garth Brooks – vocals - " Shameless" *

Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include " My Generation", " Pinball Wizard", " Won't Get Fooled ...

– vocals - "

My Generation "My Generation" is a song by the English rock band the Who, which became a hit and one of their most recognizable songs. The song was named the 11th greatest song by ''Rolling Stone'' on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It becam ...

" * John Mayer - guitar - " This Is the Time" *

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

- bass, vocal - "

I Saw Her Standing There "I Saw Her Standing There" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It is the opening track on the band's 1963 debut UK album '' Please Please Me'' and their debut US album '' Introducing... The ...

"; piano, vocal " Let It Be" *

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...

– "

Pink Houses "Pink Houses" is a song written and performed by John Cougar Mellencamp. It was released on 23 October 1983 album '' Uh-Huh'' on Riva Records. It reached No. 8 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in early 1984 and No. 15 in Canada. "Pink Houses" wa ...

" * Steven Tyler – vocals - "

Walk This Way "Walk This Way" is a song by the American rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album '' Toys in the Attic'' (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboa ...

Songs

Prelude/Angry Young Man "Prelude/Angry Young Man" is a song written by Billy Joel which appeared as the sixth song on the album '' Turnstiles'' in 1976. Live versions have been released as the second track of '' KOHЦEPT'', the 11th track of the first disc of '' 2000 Y ...

" #"

My Life My Life may refer to: Autobiographies * ''Mein Leben'' (Wagner) (''My Life''), by Richard Wagner, 1870 * ''My Life'' (Clinton autobiography), by Bill Clinton, 2004 * ''My Life'' (Meir autobiography), by Golda Meir, 1973 * ''My Life'' (Mosley a ...

" #" Summer, Highland Falls" #" Everybody Loves You Now" #"

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...

" #"

" (with

) #"

Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them: *Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California *Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County *Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...

" #"

The Ballad of Billy the Kid "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel from the album '' Piano Man''. It was also issued as a single in the UK backed with "If I Only Had The Words (To Tell You)." Artistic license The song is Joel's fict ...

" #"

She's Always a Woman "She's Always a Woman" is a song by Billy Joel from his 1977 album, '' The Stranger''. It is a love song about a modern woman whom the singer has fallen totally in love with to the extent of falling for her endearing quirks as well as her flaws ...

" #"

Goodnight Saigon "Goodnight Saigon" is a song written by Billy Joel, originally appearing on his 1982 album ''The Nylon Curtain'', about the Vietnam War. It depicts the situation and attitude of United States Marines beginning with their military training on Parr ...

" #" Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)" #" Shameless" (with Garth Brooks) #" This Is the Time" (with John Mayer) #"

Keeping the Faith ''Keeping the Faith'' is a 2000 American romantic comedy film written by Stuart Blumberg, and starring Ben Stiller, Edward Norton (in his directorial debut), Jenna Elfman, Eli Wallach, and Anne Bancroft. This film was released by Touchstone Pi ...

" #"

Captain Jack Captain Jack may refer to: People * Calico Jack (1683–1720), a pirate in the 18th century * Captain Jack (Hawaiian) (died 1831), Naihekukui, commander of Kamehameha's fleet and father of Kalama * Captain Jack (fl. 1830s on), Kaurna man in c ...

" #"

Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)" is the seventh track from Billy Joel's 1993 album ''River of Dreams'', released in 1994 as the fourth and final single for the album. It was inspired by Alexa Ray Joel, his daughter by Christie Brinkley. The song ...

" #"

The River of Dreams "The River of Dreams" is a song by American musician Billy Joel. It is the title track and first single from his 1993 album, ''River of Dreams.'' The song was a hit, peaking at number three on the US and UK charts, making it Joel's best-charting ...

"/" A Hard Day's Night" #"

We Didn't Start the Fire "We Didn't Start the Fire" is a song written and published by American musician Billy Joel. The song was released as a single on September 18, 1989, and later released as part of Joel's album '' Storm Front'' on October 17, 1989. A list song, i ...

" #" You May Be Right" #"

Scenes from an Italian Restaurant "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" is a song from Billy Joel's 1977 album '' The Stranger''. In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked it the 324th greatest song of all time on their updated 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. Release Although never rel ...

" #"

Only the Good Die Young "Only the Good Die Young" is a song from Billy Joel's 1977 rock album '' The Stranger''. It was the third of four singles released from the album. Song information "Only the Good Die Young" was controversial for its time, with the lyrics written ...

" #"

" (with

) #"

Take Me Out to the Ballgame "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is a 1908 Tin Pan Alley song by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer which has become the unofficial anthem of North American baseball, although neither of its authors had attended a game prior to writing the song ...

" #" Piano Man" #" Let It Be" (with

)

References

External links

*
Billy Joel's Website information on Premiere of Last Play at Shea.Billy Joel's Website information on Last Play at Shea''New York Times'' Review Oct 28, 2010 by Stephen Holden
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Last Play At Shea 2010 films 2010 documentary films Shea Stadium Paul McCartney Billy Joel Documentary films about music and musicians 2010s English-language films Films directed by Paul Crowder