Concert Review—

Tom Petty Still Firing Up Fans On Summer Tour;

Elder Statesman Of Rock & Roll Promising New Album, Biography

By John Voket

HARTFORD — While there have been definite ups and down in both his career, and in the run of nearly a dozen live shows I’ve witnessed over the years, I can still testify that if you are a true fan of American rock & roll music, Tom Petty is a show not to be missed.

Having seen him in various configurations, mostly with his fairly stable cast of backing musicians The Heartbreakers, as well as on his 1989 solo tour, totally solo and pairing up with Stevie Nicks at an unforgettable benefit show in Los Angeles some years earlier, as well as backing fellow Hall of Famer Bob Dylan in 1986, I have to say Petty gave his best performances the first time I caught him in 1979 and just a couple of weeks ago at the former Meadows Music Theatre in Hartford (now the Dodge Music Center, ick!).

On that evening, and throughout the rest of his summer tour, the famous Floridian followed in the footsteps of the newly reformed and re-energized Black Crowes, who were a perfect compliment for Petty and company. Following the Crowes hour-plus jam of B3 infused blues and Chris Robinson’s caterwauling, The Heartbreakers hit the stage blowing out the crowd with back to back hits, “Listen to Her Heart,” “You Don’t Know How It Feels” and “Breakdown” before chilling out all the horse-lovers in the house with “Free Fallin.’”

Petty then wasted no time teasing his gathered throng with what is slated to be the first single from a soon-to-be-released new album, a cut called “Turn This Car Around.” With the jangle of Mike Campbell’s Rickenbacker 12-string, a straight-ahead beat and Petty’s drawling delivery, “Turn This Car” was is close to what you might call his trademark sound as you’d want to get.

Not being one to distract with too much of a trip into unfamiliar territory, the band came roaring back tearing into “Don’t Do Me Like That.” The first few notes were barely blared from Scott Thuston’s harmonica before the audience erupted into cheers heralding “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” followed up by “Don’t Bring Me Down.”

Introductions followed with polite applause for Thurston and Campbell, along with bassist Ron Blair, drummer Steve Ferrone and keyboardist Benmont Tench, who round out this latest incarnation of The Heartbreakers. Then Petty delivered a special treat, a flawless rendition of “Handle With Care,” from his Traveling Wilburys days with Thurston nailing the late Roy Orbison’s part with respectful precision.

Among the numbers balancing out his two-hour-plus set were: “I Won’t Back Down,” a stripped down and almost reverent “Learning To Fly,” “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” “Refugee” and a rousing rendition of “Runnin’ Down a Dream.”

The high point of the set came when Petty decided to resurrect back-to-back numbers from Wildflowers. His take on “Girl On LSD” and the title track was followed by another relatively new tune, “Melinda,” which soared thanks to a nearly six-minute piano solo courtesy of Mr Tench.

While Petty couldn’t possibly cover his multitude of FM radio hits in any six-hour set, material from his most recent studio offering, The Last DJ, and my personal favorite, 1985’s Southern Accents were noticeably absent.

If you’re sorry you missed his Hartford appearance, and you don’t mind a bit of a drive, you can still catch him in Scranton, Penn., on July 23, at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Mass., on July 29, or at the SPAC in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on July 30 before he turns his car around and heads for the left coast.

And if you would rather catch up with the Heartbreakers from the comfort of your viewing room couch, why not check out his PBS benefit DVD Soundstage. The fantastically mixed and shot studio concert has many of the obligatory hits, includes the world premier of the aforementioned “Melinda,” as well as classic covers from “Baby Please Don’t Go” to “I Got A Woman,” and even the unexpectedly refreshing “Rolling In My Sweet Baby’s Arms.”

Finally, if you think this elder statesman of American rock & roll has done it all, you will soon have access to some of his greatest stories. On June 29, Petty announced the completion of his first authorized biography, penned by long-time pal and frequent interviewer Paul Zollo.

In the musician’s own forward to the tome, he writes: “We met many times in 2004 and 2005 for talks that came to necessitate my re-listening to 30-odd years of music as Paul would show up knowledgeable to the point of having learned to play the songs himself.

“Mr. Zollo has knocked the dust off many a memory here. I hope you enjoy reading them half as much as I have living them.”

In the book, Petty recalls his first meeting with late pal George Harrison literally blew him away – a hurricane hit London on the night they became great friends.

Petty says, “The Hindus think that when you meet someone and you feel really close to them immediately, that maybe you knew them in a past life. And that was how it was with George. We met each other and instantly became really close.”