Tom Petty isn't my favorite musician, but you have to admire the sheer volume of his work as an artist ... and it turns out that still puts on a terrific show even if he looks like he's on the verge of keeling over at any point. I was able to catch he and the Heartbreakers at Alltel Pavilion on Sunday night, and his 21-song mix of older hits, new tunes and covers made for an amazing performance. Since the Heartbreakers are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, there is plenty of speculation that this could be Petty's final tour, and with tickets available at a decent price, this is a show I wanted to see.
The Black Crowes were a late sub for the Strokes as the opening band for Petty, and by this point, you pretty much know what you're going to get with the Black Crowes: a couple of recognizable hits, some relatively unfocused dabbling in blues and jam influences, and a pervasive fear that Chris Robinson is going to get blown right off the stage by a strong gust of wind. On this night, Robinson must have turned his recent separation from Kate Hudson (if she is digging on Owen Wilson, she must have a thing for freaky-looking, mildly talented types -- Will, are you listening? -- but that's a blog for another day) into some additional angst, because he delivered a blistering "Remedy" among his final songs. All in all, a good way to kick off the show.
Petty took the stage with four straight crowd favorites before finally playing a new song, "Saving Grace" from the resurgent new album "Highway Companion." Only one of the first dozen or so songs was from his new album and he played just three new ones altogether, including the crowd-endearing "Down South" and a beautifully done acoustic version of "Square 1." He also gave a nod to sometimes-tour companion Stevie Nicks with "Oh Well" by Fleetwood Mac and his former bandmates the Traveling Wilburys with "Handle with Care."
Petty's deep musical roots were recognized with a cover of "I'm a Man" by Muddy Waters and a funky rendition of "Too Much Monkey Business" by Chuck Berry. A soulful version of "Learning to Fly" was actually quite moving. For the encore, Petty wowed the remaining crowd with "Running Down a Dream," then a searing plea for serenity with his haunting version of "Mystic Eyes," by Them, before finishing with a bang by sending the crowd shuffling to the parking lots with "You Wreck Me." Throughout, Petty did a wonderful job of interacting with the crowd, a welcome departure from other big-arena shows you'll see these days. If this is indeed his last tour, he is certainly going out in Hall of Fame style.
On a side note, I honestly don't know if I've ever seen such rampant public intoxication at any show I've ever been to, which includes such acts as Van Halen, Lollapaloozas, HORDE Festivals and other binge-drink-inspiring acts. I witnessed three walking-while-vomiting episodes, the aforementioned 'neck/trailer bride/midget menage a trois, and other scenes that I wish I could un-see. I thought Tom Petty and the Black Crowes would attract a somewhat more serene, diverse, older crowd ... but maybe I'm just getting old.
2 comments:
Tom Petty looked like death 10 years ago. I can't imagine what he looks like now.
yep nothing between me and kate hudson but a few thousand miles and talent.
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