(Gibson) Billy Joel's documentary feature film The Last Play At Shea will hit the big screen at over 120 theaters across the country on October 21, 2010. In addition, several venues will extend the film for a traditional theatrical run. Here is the synopsis for the film:
The intersecting histories of a landmark stadium, a volatile baseball team, and a music legend are examined in a film that charts the ups and downs of the New York Mets and the life and career of Long Island native Billy Joel. When Joel learned that he would be giving the last musical performance at Shea Stadium, he decided to capture the event on film and then create a unique motion picture that would also tell the story of Shea stadium itself, and its place in the New York and Long Island history.
Joel brought on board his long-time collaborator Steve Cohen to produce the film and they turned to Spitfire Pictures as a partner. Directed by Paul Crowder, THE LAST PLAY AT SHEA, weaves interviews with players and performers with exclusive concert footagefeaturing guests like Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, John Mayer and Roger Daltrey, among others.
The shows staged on July 16 and July 18, 2008, before a combined 110,000 fans, were the last performances ever to play the historic stadium. After 45 years, two Mets' World Series victories, and a concert that introduced the Beatles to America, the last section of Shea Stadium was torn down and replaced by CitiField.
"The Last Play at Shea' was one of the most memorable concerts I have ever performed," said Billy Joel. This uniquely American story is told through the voice of the working class Mets Fan - the incomparable Billy Joel as it takes the viewer on a nostalgic and emotional journey through the history of Queens, NY and the emergence of the suburban middle class, the tale of one Long Islanders' road to superstardom, the historic stadium and the teams and fans that inhabited it, and a seminal moment in Rock and Roll history coming full circle from the day the Beatles christened Shea Stadium as a cultural icon.
THE LAST PLAY AT SHEA premiered earlier this year at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. It was also screened on August 21, 2010 at CitiField, making it the biggest outdoor movie presentation since 1919. The film is produced by Sinclair of Exclusive/Newmarket and Steve Cohen, who has served as Billy Joel's concert production designer /director for 36 consecutive years and has produced live tours for such acts as Elton John, Justin Timberlake, and The Eagles. Executive producers are Todd Kamelhar, Greg Whiteley and Glen Zipper.
