YOU ARE HERE: zharth.tenjou.net / My Concerts / Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (8/16/06)
The Allman Brothers Band
Don't Want You No More
It's Not My Cross To Bear
Trouble No More
Don't Keep Me Wondering
Into The Mystic
Revival
Old Before My Time
Statesboro Blues
The Weight
Ain't Wastin' Time No More
Melissa
In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
Southbound (with The Heartbreakers)
Encore
Midnight Rider
One Way Out
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Listen To Her Heart
Mary Jane's Last Dance
I Won't Back Down
Free Fallin'
Saving Grace
I'm A Man
Oh Well
You Don't Know How It Feels
Handle With Care
It's Good To Be King (Extended Jam)
Cabin Down Below
Too Much Monkey Business
Square One
Learnin' To Fly
Don't Come Around Here No More
Refugee
American Girl
Encore
Runnin' Down A Dream
Mystic Eyes
You Wreck Me
(8/17/06) One year later, and it's my second Tom Petty/Heartbreakers concert. This time, they're celebrating their 30th anniversary, and Petty's new album (Highway Companion), which he was promoting last tour, has now been released. We had lawn seats this time, and by the time Tom took the stage, the place was packed - a crowd very nearly, if not completely, sold-out.
Even before the show started, I was attracted to the sound of a live band playing on a side stage over the hill. I investigated, and managed to catch about one and a half songs by the band American Minor. They had an impressive and youthful vibe, and they played rock n roll the way I like it, so I picked up their CD before heading back to my seat on the lawn.
The Allman Brothers Band played a hearty one hour and forty-five minute long set. They played very well and very true to the classic Allman Brothers sound. I was hooked by the very bluesy It's Not My Cross To Bear, a song that I only recently discovered a few months ago and really like. The band hit some of their more popular numbers, including Melissa and Statesboro Blues, and played a somewhat funky version of the classic song The Weight. I was absolutely blown away by the long jam on In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, which has long been one of my favorite Allman Brothers Band tracks. It was very reminiscent of At Fillmore East and sounded fantastic. Before finishing, the band invited the Heartbreakers onto the stage to jam, and they played an exciting Southbound. Mike Campbell sounded great. A couple of crowd pleasers formed the encore and then the band was done. Very entertaining, very Allman Brothers. An excellent first half of the evening.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers came on after dark, opening with Listen To Her Heart, and following that with Mary Jane's Last Dance, which is always a pleasure to hear. They also played I Won't Back Down and Free Fallin' before Tom Petty introduced Saving Grace, the hit track from his new Highway Companion album.
Tom mentioned that this was their 30th anniversary, and said that sometimes they get asked what kind of music they were into when they were pulling things together, so the band did a couple covers to pay homage to their influences. They did a Yardbirds number (I'm A Man) as well as a true classic from Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac - a little song called Oh Well. It was great to hear Tom Petty playing the Yardbirds, and it was even cooler to hear The Heartbreakers perform such a great song as Oh Well, by one of my own favorite musicians, Peter Green.
Later, Tom Petty played a Traveling Wilburys song, which seems to be a tradition for him. At some point, he mentioned something about rock and roll, and then played Too Much Monkey Business with a very classic 50's rock feel. There were some numbers from the Wildflowers album, and an incredible rendition of It's Good To Be King, which really reached out and touched some pretty spacey and emotional licks. Probably my favorite song of the evening, at least by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.
Tom asked to do one by himself, all acoustic-like, and it was Square One, an intimate track from the new Highway Companion album. There was Learnin' To Fly, complete with the audience participating in the chorus. Don't Come Around Here No More, also with some audience participation. Refugee sounded as good as ever, with more excellent playing by Mike Campbell. The main set ended with American Girl, which, in my mind, more or less quintessentially defines the sound of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.
After tons of applause, amid a glittering hill of lighters, Petty and the band returned to the stage. Petty told us that someone backstage had informed him that we were the largest crowd ever at this venue. He then proceeded to egg us into making a whole lot of ruckus ("the loudest noise in the world"). The encore consisted of three songs, starting with a breathtaking as usual Runnin' Down A Dream, a very interesting and heartfelt Them/Van Morrison cover Mystic Eyes, and to end the night, Petty's You Wreck Me.
It was a good night. Both bands played well and entertained. Tom Petty was in a great mood and repeatedly thanked us for all the applause and enthusiasm. He seemed genuinely impressed by the enormous presence of the crowd. And one thing's for certain, there was absolutely nothing Petty about the performance last night.