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.”

The Beatles and baseball shared the spotlight at the concerts. Joel played three Beatles songs (“A Hard Day’s Night,” “Please, Please Me” and “She Loves You”) during Wednesday’s set, and introduced his signature “Piano Man” with “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” He also played the national anthem to start the show.

“I want to thank the Beatles for letting us use their room. Best band that ever was, best band that ever will be,” Joel told fans Wednesday.

Diane Gentile saw the Beatles play at Shea in 1966 – their second visit to the stadium after the historic show a year earlier. Her recollection of that summer night 42 years ago: “Oh, my God, there are the Beatles on that stage, and here am I.”

“It was unbelievable. It was exciting; you could feel the electricity. Right before the concert we were singing `Happy Anniversary’ to John because his anniversary was that day,” Gentile recalled.

On Friday, Gentile was back at Shea to watch Joel for what she predicted would be the best concert she’ll ever see.