Billy Joel said farewell at Shea Stadium Friday night during what AP and other news reports describe as an electrifying, sold-out final show .. The stadium, which will be torn down after the current baseball season to make way for another new stadium across the street, erupted in applause for Joel .. "They're gonna be tearing this place down, but I wanna thank you ... for letting me do the best job in the world," he told them. Even more amazing for the crowd, according to the AP: "

Tony Bennett sang "New York State of Mind" with Joel on Friday, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler performed "Walk This Way," and Roger Daltrey of the Who did "My Generation. At the end of "My Generation," Joel smashed a guitar against the stage, breaking it in two. McCartney came on at the end. He sang "I Saw Her Standing There" while on guitar and "Let It Be" on piano — the last song of the night. Joel sat on top of piano and sang backup. Garth Brooks appeared on stage earlier wearing a Mets jersey, and in the audience, one of Joel's famous fans — ex-wife Christie Brinkley — sang along, word for word, to the chorus of "She's Always a Woman." During the first installment of Joel's "Last Play at Shea" on Wednesday, John Mellencamp came on stage to perform his hit "Pink Houses," and Don Henley underscored the baseball theme with his standard "Boys of Summer."

(I forgot about life for a while too earlier this month. Billy Joel, one of the greatest performers of the 20th century, continues to soar to new heights in the 21st.)