Billy Joel — The Last Play at Shea, Shea Stadium (New York), 2008

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Why this recording

The film does not document a single night: it combines the two dates of 16 and 18 July 2008, which drew a combined 110,000 fans according to its synopsis. Alongside the most often cited guests, John Mayer and John Mellencamp are also credited in the description. Released by Front Row Music and distributed by Sony Pictures, it condenses into 2 h 20 the last music played at the Mets' stadium, whose final section was torn down in 2009.

— Simon Janvier, live-sound professional and editor of the catalogue

Recording technical sheet

Rights-holding channelFront Row Music
Source statusOfficial — label or producer
Uploaded
Exact runtime
ResolutionHD (720p+)
Source qualityProfessional (multi-camera)

Metadata checked on YouTube on 29 September 2026; direction, camera setup and sound documented by the editors.

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Published on August 14, 2026 by Simon Janvier

This live concert films Billy Joel at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York, during the shows billed as The Last Play at Shea on July 16 and 18, 2008. These two dates were the final concerts held in the historic home of the Mets before its demolition, extending the stadium’s musical legacy that the Beatles had opened there in 1965. Before a combined audience of more than one hundred thousand people across the two nights, Billy Joel works through a broad survey of his catalogue, from his New York songbook to his stage staples, carried by his piano and his touring band. The New York 2008 full concert is defined by a run of confirmed guests joining the pianist on stage. Tony Bennett sings the standard New York State of Mind, Garth Brooks shares Shameless, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler delivers Walk This Way and the Who’s Roger Daltrey performs My Generation. The high point is the appearance of Paul McCartney, driven to the stage by the same groundskeeper who drove the Beatles in 1965, for I Saw Her Standing There and a closing Let It Be. This filmed live concert documents the closing of a landmark venue in American rock and pop history.

Setlist

  1. The Star-Spangled Banner
  2. Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)
  3. Prelude/Angry Young Man
  4. My Life
  5. The Entertainer
  6. Summer, Highland Falls
  7. Zanzibar
  8. Allentown
  9. The Ballad of Billy the Kid
  10. New York State of Mind
  11. Root Beer Rag
  12. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
  13. Goodnight Saigon
  14. Don't Ask Me Why
  15. This Night
  16. Keeping the Faith
  17. The Downeaster "Alexa"
  18. Under the Boardwalk
  19. An Innocent Man
  20. Shameless
  21. She's Always a Woman
  22. Captain Jack
  23. Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
  24. The River of Dreams
  25. A Hard Day's Night
  26. Walk This Way
  27. We Didn't Start the Fire
  28. It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
  29. My Generation
  30. You May Be Right
  31. Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
  32. Only the Good Die Young
  33. I Saw Her Standing There
  34. Take Me Out to the Ball Game
  35. Piano Man
  36. Let It Be

Personnel & credits

  • Billy Joel — vocals, piano
  • Tony Bennett — guest vocals (New York State of Mind)
  • Garth Brooks — guest vocals (Shameless)
  • Steven Tyler — guest vocals (Walk This Way)
  • Roger Daltrey — guest vocals (My Generation)
  • Paul McCartney — guest vocals and guitar/piano (I Saw Her Standing There, Let It Be)
Category

What to watch next

Neither Billy Joel nor Shea Stadium, Queens, New York, USA appears elsewhere in the catalogue: what follows rests on the ground itself, Pop from the 2000s.

Same ground: Pop, the 2000s

The whole Pop catalogue