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Zeke has no idea why he killed a hobo tonight: Henley joins Billy Joel @ Shea

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by BYH, Jul 17, 2008.

  1. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    For the first time ever, I wished I could surf SJ from my phone, b/c to post a live BLOG!!!! from Shea Shithole as Don Henley sings "The Boys of Summer" with Billy Joel's band backing him would have been the most AWESOME THING EVER. Then again, I was trying to text IJAG so fast (ha!) that I kept making mistakes and said fuck it.

    A GREAT show. Billy played three hours and really found his groove about halfway thru. He doesn't have his 98 mph fastball any more, but he does a ton with what he has and just fucking OWNS New York. You gotta love a guy who realizes that Queens is actually part of Long Island.

    Other special guests included Tony Bennett ("New York State Of Mind), suckysuckass John Mayer (guitar on "This Is The Time") and John Mellencamp, who sang such a powerhouse version of "Pink Houses" that I almost wet myself. OK maybe not. OK maybe I did. I take back everything I ever said about Mellencamp after he sold his song to Chevy. He's pushing 60 and fucking ripped the shit out of a 25-year-old song tonight.

    No appearance by Paul McCartney, which I've been predicting since the tickets went on sale. He better not show up Friday.

    And "Goodnight Saigon" was incredibly powerful and moving once again. This time, instead of Vietnam vets, he had current vets--as well as members of the NYPD and the NYFD--sing the chorus. Big lump in the throat moment and it took some serious biting of the tongue not to start blubbering. I get goosebumps just typing that 50,000-plus people gave these heroes a standing ovation.

    Anyone else hit/hitting these shows? Besides Zeke, of course. :D :D :D
     
  2. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    after the boys of allentown have gone.
     
  3. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    Thanks for the reminder, X.

    At points tonight, I was like "I am too old for this shit." Partially because we were sitting three miles from the stage and the heights were making me feel a bit off. But mostly b/c chants of "U-S-A! U-S-A!" started after Allentown and Pink Houses, both of which featured pictures of an American flag waving on the big screens. Hey you dumb jingoistic fuck drunks, THE FLAG IS AN IRONIC DEVICE BECAUSE BOTH SONGS ARE ABOUT THE DYING AMERICAN DREAM. Dumbfuckingassholes.

    Oh yeah and then some drunk fuck jocks were whooping it up during "Captain Jack." CAAAAAAPTAIN JACK'LL GET YOU HIGH TONIGHT!!!! Hey if you want to celebrate the fact you live with your mom and dad, jerk off alone and never even make your bed, knock yourself out.
     
  4. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    de nada, homeboy. if nothing else, i'm a memory jarer.

    sounded like a great show. did he play "my life"?
     
  5. Did they turn the lights off during 'You may be right' and did the crowd chant during 'Piano Man'?
     
  6. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    Oh yeah, he sang "My Life." Fairly early, too.

    He did pretty much all the hits, including, praise be, "Keeping The Faith," which is one of my five favorite songs ever. He opened with the national anthem and then "Miami 2017 (Lights Go Down On Broadway)," which was really, really cool.

    WB: I think the lights did go out for a second during "You May Be Right." And yeah, "Piano Man" was once again the world's biggest singalong. Still not as cool as it was the first time I saw it in Hartford in 1993. That blew my fuckin mind.
     
  7. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    we didnt start the fire?
     
  8. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    Duh! :D

    Trying to remember the set list...he really killed at the end. In some order, he did "You May Be Right," "We Didn't Start The Fire" and "It's Still Rock n Roll To Me."
     
  9. DanOregon

    DanOregon Well-Known Member

    Were they taping this show for a future broadcast? My top five Billy Joel songs are Stilletto, Miami 2017, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Summer Highland Falls and Honesty.
     
  10. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    Yeah, I just read on newsday.com that the show will be turned into a concert film to be released next year.

    He played Scenes right before Piano Man, I think. What a fucking great song. It's amazing how timeless his hits really are.
     
  11. Did he curse himself for writing songs in his 20s that he can barely sing anymore?
     
  12. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    Haha. He did a great job on An Innocent Man, which he's struggled with in recent years.

    Like I said: Doesn't have the high heat anymore, but he still puts on a great show.
     
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