— Days Without Shea —


Shea Stadium Festival for Peace
Of all the posts I have written about Shea Stadium, the Mets, ex-Mets and our beloved section Loge13, the topic that resonated the most with readers was about an event that happened forty years ago today: the Shea Stadium Festival for Peace.

Very little was written about this concert, organized to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the first use of a nuclear weapon in war. No movie was ever made of this gig, which starred the giant acts of the day, including CCR, Paul Simon, Poco and one Janis Joplin, in one of her last performances.

In fact, I think I've written more about the Shea Stadium festival for peace than anyone else online. Dozens of attendees to the show have commented on my posts, remembering the day and trying to confirm who was there. There is is still uncertainty as to whether or not Jimi Hendrix did appear (what was in the water that day?).

One thing all agree on - Shea Stadium literally rocked that day. So many people were dancing in the upper level that the stadium was shaking.

Photographer Ken Davidoff was there. Last May, he was kind enough to send me some photos and recollections of the day. It's worth repeating today:
I was going to The School Of Visual Arts studying photography,I was backstage, I had a press pass and had photographed Johnny Winter at the Palm Beach Pop Festival the year before.

Janis Joplin was in the corner of the dressing room all decked out in her feathers, with lots of bracelets on her arms. I walked up to her and said " Do you want to smoke a joint" "No thanks, that stuff makes me crazy" and with that she takes out a brown paper bag with a bottle and takes a swig.

At that moment Johnny Winter walks in. He sees Janice and they greet each other like long lost friends. Johnny grabs the bottle from Janis,and takes a drink, Janice grabs it back and does the same ,this goes on until it's finished.

I managed to get off a few frames, also some pics of Johnny and Rick Derringer jamming. My site where you can see all of my photos from that day is www.oldrockphoto.com/shea.html I too have memories of the stadium tiers bouncing up and down, that concert really rocked the house.I hope everyone enjoys the photos, Peace, Ken

After the jump, I have posted some samplings of other comments from folks who were there. These have been posted in the past year on Loge13.com:






Continue reading "Shea Stadium Festival Of Peace - 40 Years Ago Today" »



[August 6, 2010 7:59 PM]  |  link  |  reply
DyHrdMET said

If not for you, I don't think I would have ever heard of this festival. It sounded like a helluva show. I like how 3 of the 4 comments you posted were from people 15 years old at the time.

[August 19, 2010 8:17 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Grace said

This is the first concert I ever attended and I had not thought about it in many years. Thank you for rekindling the memories. I was 16 and had a great time. I remember the stadium shaking and Janis Joplin appearing at the end. Also - weren't there jets from Laguardia Airport flying over and making a rackett every few minutes?


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Loge13's been out of pocket a few days. Had a little car mishap in New Jersey over the weekend, then a little "no Internet" mishap in NYC, thanks to Verizon.

"Last Play At Shea," Billy Joel's documentary about the last shows ever at Shea Stadium will have its premiere at Citi Field August 21th. Tickets go on sale Friday.

Loge13 readers should be very familiar with Shea Stadium's contribution to rock & roll. If not, check out our Shea Rocks section.

I am not the biggest Billy Joel fan but this could be a cool event to go to. It will also be the biggest outdoor movie presentation since 1919. Back then, they called them talkies.

The full press release follows after the break.


Continue reading "Shea Stadium Plays Citi Field" »




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Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Loge13sign_SheaStadium1.JPG
The Shea Stadium memorabilia auctions cannot be stopped.

The 23rd installment is ending with some interesting flotsam and jetsam.

You can still get a napkin holder for $59 or a stack of LED lights for $100.

There is this odd framed newspaper clipping from the Queens Courier on the block for $25. Bob Murphy and a very young looking Fred Wilpon are in the photo. According to the description,   "This plaque was found in storage at Shea, where it once hung." So now they're just selling stuff they found in some boxes?

Lots of team flags still available. And why haven't the folks at Loge18.com bought this sign yet? Their loss. My Loge13 sign looks much better.


[June 19, 2010 12:04 AM]  |  link  |  reply
dyhrdmet said

I can't believe this is still going on. It's been almost a year since they had what looked like a clearance auction, and it's a bit surprising that after items didn't clear out then that items haven't been thrown out now.

[June 20, 2010 11:07 AM]  |  link  |  reply
Kingman said

I know it is stunning. They should at least donate some the valuable stuff (signs, flags).


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As previously mentioned, the new Billy Joel/Shea Stadium documentary "Last Play At Shea" premiered this week at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The reviews have been mostly positive. Sounds like Met fans will love it no matter what one thinks of Billy Joel's music.

For all the details on Shea Stadium's rock & roll life and death, visit our Shea Rocks section.

Here is the NY Observer review:

The enjoyment you get out of The Last Play at Shea is directly proportional to your tolerance of Billy Joel and love of the New York Mets. Paul Crowder's documentary about Mr. Joel performing the final concert at Shea Stadium premiered at Tribeca this week and it will make anyone who grew up in the shadow of Shea Stadium smile with delight (or, occasionally, find a lump in their throat). Unfortunately, what starts out as a sprawling history lesson about New York City politics, baseball and Billy Joel turns into nothing more than a concert movie-cum-Behind the Music special. And that isn't all that surprising: Shea is basically a "Billy Joel Production" through and through--producer Steve Cohen has worked with Mr. Joel since 1974--but it just feels disappointing after the stakes are raised much higher to start.

The Last Play at Shea traces the history of Shea Stadium (lovingly called a "dump" by former players and fans) from when it was a glint in Robert Moses' eye to the arrival of The Beatles to the Miracle Mets in 1969 to Bill Buckner in 1986 to even September 11. It's a powerful threadline for a stadium and franchise that always played also-ran to their more successful older brothers in the Bronx. And along the way, we're treated to the rise of Mr. Joel's career: From his humble beginnings on Long Island to his marriage to supermodel Christie Brinkley and beyond.

The best documentaries--for example, Joan Rivers -- A Piece of Work--put their subjects under the microscope to see and inspect the warts. Mr. Crowder, though, too often treats Mr. Joel with kid gloves. Not that it needed to be some tabloid blotter, but there is barely a mention of his missteps and transgressions over the last decade. And since the last half of the film is almost solely about Mr. Joel, the narrative conflict is lost; by the time Paul McCartney shows up to surprise the audience during the concert--let it be known that Sir Paul can still give you goosebumps even now--the film has become something akin to a Time-Life infomercial. The Last Play at Shea is great fun, but too often the great documentary it could have been isn't on the screen.







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Have the Ghosts of Shea been appeased?

Since officially recognizing the Seaver and Hodges Gates at Citi Field Thursday, the Mets have been undefeated.

The Mets held on to a 1-0 lead and swept the Braves in the four game series. Pelfrey is now 4-0.

He wasn't sharp but fortunately the rains came after 5.1 innings and washed out any chance for the Braves to come back. The Braves have now been shut out four times already this year.

Don't look now but the Mets are only one win behind the Phillies, who are out in SF tonight.

We'll be out at Shea Field Tuesday. Let us know if you'll be there too. 





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