New Petty tunes still damn the torpedoes

By Ed Masley
Post-Gazette Pop Music Critic

Early last year, Aerosmith established that a band could take its place in the Rock Hall of Fame and still get airplay on a Nelly scale. At Tuesday's Post-Gazette Pavilion show, Tom Petty proved that you can do better than that and make a brilliant record -- damn the suits at corporate radio -- the year your band is inducted.

Somehow looking like he'd just stepped off the cover of 1979's "Damn the Torpedoes," Petty treated the crowd of 22,679 to three new songs from an album he said he'd just turned in before the tour. And while a large percentage of the crowd appeared more interested in getting to the point on the crowd-pleasing singalong chorus of "You Don't Know How It Feels," the new songs more than held their own alongside Petty staples stretching back to "American Girl."

"Have Love Will Travel" shares a title with an old garage-punk classic by the Standells, but the song itself -- a sweeping ballad -- sounded more like something off "Echo," Petty's latest masterpiece.

The other two found him exploring the whisper-to-a-scream dynamic he and the Heartbreakers brought to a number of other songs as well ("You Don't Know How It Feels" and "It's Good to Be King," in particular). On "Lost Children," a delicate melody emerged from a riff that was practically stoner-rock, more "Heartbreaker," the Zeppelin song, than Heartbreakers, the band. "Can't Stop the Sun," a blast of '60s-flavored pop that, like "Lost Children," featured some serious wah-wah pedal action, was perhaps the best performance of the night, evolving through the twists and turns of a surprisingly complex arrangement while touching on hook after hook.

But if the singer and his band seemed more inspired on the newer songs, they played the oldies with conviction, heart and reverence for the parts that really matter -- guitarist Mike Campbell falling back on many of his greatest leads -- while stretching out and playing with arrangements to keep things fresh. An unplugged "Rebel" proved surprisingly dramatic, boasting what remains his greatest lyric ("Honey, don't walk out/I'm too drunk to follow"), while the songs from Petty's Jeff Lynne era ("Runnin' Down a Dream," an impassioned "Free Fallin'") sounded more alive without the gloss and polish.

Other highlights ranged from a rollicking "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and Petty's narration on "Here Comes My Girl" to "Refugee," "You Wreck Me," "American Girl" and a version of "Gloria" that may have been the ultimate performance of that song, with Petty supplying an hilarious account of chasing Gloria, who says she knows he watches Sally Jesse Raphael all night, then tells him, "And you smell like marijuana."

Brian Setzer did his best to rock this Burgettstown the way the Stray Cats would have done in rockabilly's silver age: the '80s. But it's hard to rock a town when most folks haven't made it to the venue yet. It took "Rock This Town" to get about a dozen people dancing -- a far cry from the Gap-inspired frenzy at his recent Brian Setzer Orchestra appearances. But Setzer didn't let it bring him down. If anything, he overcompensated, running down his favorite scales like Alvin Lee with better hair.

It's good to be king

By KEVIN KRIEGER
Weekender Correspondent

MOOSIC - On Saturday night, the capacity crowd at Montage Mountain was on its feet and making a raucous noise long before Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers hit the first notes of "Runnin' Down A Dream." For the second year running, Petty and company have landed on the Mountain and presented a textbook perfect rock and roll show.

With a catalog stretching back to 1976 (when he had to fight against being lumped into the Punk Rock movement), Tom Petty has more than enough hits to fill a two-hour plus show. And it goes without saying that the Heartbreakers are probably one of the tightest units touring today, in the same league as the E Street Band or John Mellencamp's band.

The evening kicked off with a solid performance from the Brian Setzer Trio. Setzer, who resembled Michael J. Fox with a pompadour, fronted the new trio featuring Johnny "Spaz" Hatton on stand-up bass and Bernie Dresel on the drum kit. The former Stray Cat made the surprisingly complex rockabilly guitar look easy on songs like "Twenty Flight Rock" and "Rumble In Brighton."

Although the Trio has recorded a new CD, there are no immediate plans to release it just yet. New material notwithstanding, Setzer kept the crowd electrified with classics like "Stray Cat Strut" and "Rock This Town" from his former life. Guitarheads in the crowd were treated to Setzer's take on several digit-twisting Chet Atkins numbers as well as some fine banjo playing. The opening slot will definitely take on a whole new tone on August 6 when Jackson Browne takes the spotlight, but for the Montage crowd, the Brian Setzer Trio was the perfect warm-up to the main attraction.

As the house lights dimmed, Petty and the Heartbreakers stepped onstage in front of a backdrop of swirling colors. While the opening number was plagued with some guitar problems for Mike Campbell, the band quickly ushered in "I Won't Back Down," "I Need To Know," and an extended version of "Mary Jane's Last Dance," much to the crowd's delight.

Confident that the audience was along for the ride, Petty took the opportunity to toss three new songs from an as-yet unreleased album ("The Last DJ," due out in October) into the set. "Have Love Will Travel, "Can't Stop The Sun," and "Lost Children" are perfect complements to Petty's repertoire and have a good chance of becoming staples at future concerts.

The evening's only break in the action was a three-song acoustic set featuring Tom and his acoustic guitar standing bravely in the spotlight while the crowd sang every word of "Rebels" and "Learning To Fly." Petty took a moment before launching into "Yer So Bad" to acknowledge that fact that there's "so much bullshit in music today." The roar of approval showed the crowd's complete and utter agreement. Bursting out of Gainesville, Florida in the mid-70s, Petty and the Heartbreakers weren't given a chance in hell to wade through the morass of disco and punk bands. Yet, here they are 26 years later, playing their hearts out to an adoring crowd in Scranton, PA.

Despite repeating 13 songs from last year's romp on the Mountain, the classic songs kept coming with "Here Comes My Girl," "Refugee," and a lengthy guitar workout on "It's Good To Be King." While Campbell played the lion's share of the lead work, Petty tossed out his own tasty, yet edgy licks. The Heartbreakers were firing on all cylinders and the momentum kept moving up a notch to the concert's closing version of "You Wreck Me." Naturally, the band was called back to the stage for an encore of "Free Fallin," an audience-assisted "Gloria," and a letter perfect run through of the classic "American Girl."

Petty seemed genuinely surprised and grateful at the overwhelming response from the Montage crowd. It's apparent that if it's up to Tom, he and the Heartbreakers will be back to the Mountain for the 2003 schedule. And so will 12,000 of his noisy friends.

Petty Mellows Out Montage

CLAIRE CONNELLY
TIMES STUDENT INTERN

Like warm sunshine after a thunderstorm, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers mellowed out Montage Mountain on Saturday night after Wednesday's raucous Ozzfest.

Mr. Petty jammed to a packed amphitheater, thronged with fiftysomethings and those who might have been infants when the Heartbreakers formed in 1975.

Retro-rockers Brian Setzer Trio opened up for Mr. Petty, lathering up the crowd with jiving hits from Mr. Setzer's '80s band, The Stray Cats. Mr. Setzer blared "Fishnet Stockings" to the delight of baby boomers who jumped and jived until told to stop by Montage Mountain Strike Force.

"You gotta let the people stand and dance if they wanna," Mr. Setzer joked.

And dance they did. Mr. Setzer tipped his hat to the Keystone State when he sang "Rockin' Pennsylvania" in his closing number, drawing thundering cheers from the crowd.

Ken and Judy Chergosky of Dingman's Ferry waited in anticipation for the Heartbreakers' performance.

"I've seen him two other times," Mr. Chergosky said. "All of his songs are my favorites."

Draped in soothing colors and backed by a projection screen, Mr. Petty made a triumphant return to Scranton. He and the Heartbreakers rocked out in style, coolly overcoming lead guitar player Mike Campbell's early technical troubles.

"I can tell we're gonna have a good time tonight," Mr. Petty said.

The Heartbreakers, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March, are touring to promote their new album due out in October. This tour also features the return of original bass player Ron Blair after Howie Epstein left due to personal problems.

Mr. Petty introduced some new tunes to the crowd, thanking for their receptiveness and asking them to act like they'd heard the songs a hundred times.

Old favorites like "Won't Back Down," and "You Don't Know How It Feels," drove the crowd into a frenzy of applause and dancing. Mr. Petty continually made eye contact with the crowd, smiling at their obvious enjoyment.

The band's live set included longer, jammed out versions of popular radio hits. They rocked out "Last Dance with Mary Jane," a fan favorite, with an extra long solo by Mr. Petty and some harmonica action.

"He's just as fresh as ever," said Christopher Dougherty of Bryn Mawr. "He doesn't just phone it in."

Fans will look forward to the rock veteran's return to the mountain next summer after the release of the new album.

Petty, Setzer create electric evening

BY BARRY FOX
Of The Patriot-News

Hersheypark Arena is in semi-retirement and now they might as well shut down the neighboring stadium, too.

After Sunday night's Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers/Brian Setzer Trio concert it's unlikely the old place will host something this good again.

Metaphorically speaking, there should be nothing left but smoldering embers. From note one, Setzer lit the fire, and Petty and the Heartbreakers did their part by dumping a tanker-full of gas on it.

Wearing massive pompadours, the trio is the latest incarnation for Setzer, who appropriately for a former Stray Cat, seems to have an endless supply of rock lives.

Backed by Johnny "Spaz" Hatton on stand-up bass and Bernie Dresel on drums, BSO sped through a super fun hourlong set of rockabilly, swing, honky-tonk and country tunes.

Hatton lying on his back playing the big bass, Setzer ripping off some lightning-bolt guitar licks, "Stray Cat Strut," "Runaway Boys," "Rock This Town," and "Rumble In Brighton" is the agenda for a good time.

But the good times were just beginning. Playing in front of arches of lights and projection screens, the current incarnation of the Heartbreakers was locked on its target from the opening "Runnin' Down a Dream" through the final notes of the encore.

After dipping into the archives for "I Won't Back Down" and "I Need To Know" and whipping everyone into a froth, the thin blond man at the mike wanted to make sure it was clear who was onstage, "I'm Tom Petty," he said. "And these are the Heartbreakers."

The introductions weren't necessary.

Each time Petty changed guitars, another classic came out of the speakers -- "Mary Jane's Last Dance," "Here Comes My Girl," "Even The Losers," "You Don't Know How It Feels," "It's Good To Be King."

Asking for the throng's indulgence, Petty debuted three new tunes that will be on the band's next album, "The Last DJ," due out in October -- "Have Love Will Travel," "Lost Children" and "Can't Stop The Sun." Good songs, but not what we came to hear.

Subdued, acoustic-ish renderings of "Rebels," "Learning To Fly" and "Yer So Bad" were a nice bonus for veteran Petty fans, but larger-than-life versions of songs like "Refugee" and "You Wreck Me" is why you go to see TP and the HBs.

Amidst chants of "Petty, Petty" the band brought the night to a loud, fulfilling end with "Free Fallin'," "Gloria" and "American Girl."

Petty gave the best description of an electric evening during his encore.

"Many things will come and go in this life," he said in his Florida drawl. "But rock 'n' roll will never let you down."

Too Much isn't enough of Petty

By Tom Kielty
Boston Globe Staff

Mansfield - There's a certain sense of completion that comes with election to a hall of fame. When Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers waltzed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March, the distinctive sound of Rickenbacker guitars swelling behind them, it would have been easy to laud their efforts and guess that their vitality had been left behind with their youth.

Easy, and incorrect. On Thursday evening at the Tweeter Center, Petty and his longtime companions showed that in addition to possessing one of the most impressive catalogs in American rock history, they still have the chops to do justice to their work - and, just as impressive, the ability to incorporate exciting new material into a set of more than two hours.

Petty, clean-shaven and still razor-thin in a black suit, began shuffling through his back pages early on with the 1978 " I Need to Know." The original bass player, recently rejoined the Heartbreakers (replacing longtime bassist Howie Epstein), and the band seems intent on easing him in with familiar material. For fans this was a dream come true, as the band charged through such classics as "Refugee" and "Too Much Ain't Enough."

As exciting as the familiar tunes were the new ones, from the planned October release called "The Last DJ"; they indicated that Petty has not lost his way around an innovative book. "Have Love, Will Travel" was a midtempo rocker with a rootsy chorus for the boys "who play rock 'n' roll. They love it like you love Jesus, it does the same for their souls."

Petty's faith in the power of music, akin to Bruce Springsteen, has never wavered.

The other new material succeeded as well. "Lost Children" was harder-edged, but with soft chorus and a Jerry Garcia-esque guitar supplied by Mike Campbell, while "I Can't Stop the Sun" combined with moodiness of Petty's "She's the One" with a crashing Beatles-influenced chorus.

Campbell was a marvel throughout the evening. He has always been an essential ingredient to the Heartbreakers' success, and his playing on the set's apex - a formidable one-two shot of "Here Comes My Girl" and "Even the Losers" was focused yet earthy enough for the entire band to feed off.

Watching some aging captains of industry in the first 10 rows punching in the air and singing along to the redeeming chorus of "Even the Losers," while youngsters next to them grooved to the more recent "Mary Jane's Last Dance," was sufficient proof that Petty has done the requisite miles for legend status. More impressive is that he doesn't appear headed for the exit any time soon.

In his opening set, Brian Setzer continued in the neo-rockabilly tradition of Stray Cats. He even treated longtime fans to versions of "Stray Cat Strut" and "Rock This Town."

Petty favorites delight fans

By Dean Johnson
Boston Herald Staff

Bad timing by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers meant a good time for a sold-out Tweeter Center last night.

Petty and the gang have recorded a new album, but it won't be out until October. So with no new product to hype, the veteran rock outfit dangled only a pair of promising new tunes in front of the rabid crowd and instead dug deep into its songbook that goes back to the '70s.

Though last night's two-hour-plus concert wasn't quite the incendiary match of last summer's gig at the Tweeter Center, there were plenty of giddy moments splashed around the 21-song set.

The audience responded with a roar when guitarist Mike Campbell dug into the grinding guitar intro to the opening ``Running Down a Dream.'' In short order, the band tore into ``I Need to Know,'' ``Even the Losers,'' ``Refugee,'' and ``I Won't Back Down.''

Petty, looking more and more like one of the nation's founding fathers, was in fine vocal shape and even took several raw, edgy guitar breaks. But Campbell's work was stellar from the start. The band was rounded out by drummer Steve Ferrone, keyboardist Benmont Tench, original bassist Ron Blair - who has replaced longtime bassist Howie Epstein - and multi-instrumentalist Scott Thurston.

With a smart, new millennium version of a '60s rock light show behind them, the crew hit a mid-set lull during a semi-acoustic segment but romped to the finish in a crisp run that included ``You Wreck Me,'' ``Refugee,'' ``Too Much Ain't Enough'' and ``American Girl.''

Petty also did an intentionally cheesy version of ``Dirty Water,'' as he has in the past, but it came across as tribute, not pandering. An encore version of ``Gloria,'' with the audience spontaneously bursting into the chorus while Petty improvised, was one of this summer's great Tweeter Center moments.

Former Stray Cats frontman Brian Setzer opened the show and left no doubt that he hasn't strayed from his old band's rockabilly roots. He even performed a few of the group's songs, including a playful ``Stray Cat Strut'' and sweaty ``Rock This Town.''

Setzer led a trio that also featured drums and a stand-up bass. He kept music busy, uptempo and '50s-flavored, a rebel-rousing sound laced with twangy, tough guitar.

Timelessrocker gives audience what they want

By CAROL ROBIDOUX
Union Leader Staff

Fans last night flooded the Verizon Wireless Arena with heartfelt appreciation for the man who’s given them a quarter-century of their favorite rock ‘n’ roll anthems during a two-hour Tom Petty love fest.

And the feeling was obviously mutual.

Petty and his five-man band, the Heartbreakers, dressed like a middle-aged wedding band, took the stage just after 9 p.m. wearing dark suits, white shirts and neckties.

But that’s where any resemblance to mid-life musicians ended.

Opening with “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” Petty spent as much time grinning at the crowd as he did filling the arena with the kind of hard-driving rhythmic blues that’s placed him among the Holy Trinity of Heartland rockers, right alongside Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp.

Throughout the next several songs, including “I Won’t Back Down,” and “I Need to Know,” Petty soaked up the crowd, like adrenaline. Petty’s timelessness was apparent in tunes like “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” which gave the crowd its biggest thrill of the night.

Along with his arsenal of hits, Petty fired a few new songs from his soon-to-be-released album, which showed a more experimental side of Petty’s music.

“Have Love Will Travel,” a slow ballad, was the most familiar-sounding of the three. “Lost Children,” with its sparse lyrics against desperate, thrashing guitar riffs, was a diversion from Petty’s usual first-person story telling style. And “Can’t Stop the Sun,” showed off Petty’s way with melodic guitar.

But the band shined brightest about halfway through the set with an extended version of the melancholy, “It’s Good to be King.”

In this moment, Petty offered up the epitome of what every guitar-driven rock band wants to deliver.

This is how you know that music is what Petty would’ve given his life to, even if no one paid him.

Opening for Petty was the Brian Setzer Orchestra, who rocked better than three guys with big hair and a stand-up bass should be allowed to.

Although he’s best known for hits like “Stray Cat Strut,” and “Rock This Town,” Setzer included several tunes with a country flavor, including the old Glen Campbell standard, “Gentle on my Mind,” which he dedicated to New York City firefighter friends of his lost in the World Trade Center attack.

Tom Petty in Manchester

Still lookin' as good as ever and still the king of rock 'n' roll

By Rick Koster
The Day Staff

Perhaps lost in the toasty and day-glo vibes of adulation in sold-out Mohegan Sun Arena Monday night, where Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers conducted a two-hour-plus walk down memory lane, was the amazing assemblage of vintage guitars trotted out by Petty and lead guitarist Mike Campbell. There were Gibson Firebirds, SGs and Flying V's, Fender Telecasters and all manners of shark-shaped and obscure axes.

Sure, that's techie minutiae, but the whole instrument-rotation served as an excellent metaphor for the concert since the set list consisted of almost 30 years worth of radio classics.

Petty came out in a greatcoat, his straw-colored hair trailing down his back, looking like a cross between a sunbelt Dickensian and a stork, and leading the latest incarnation of his band The Heartbreakers into a highway-ready take of “Running Down a Dream.”

The stage set was sparse, with only a huge, concave half-shell erected at the rear that served a dual purpose as light-supports and video screen.

Early on, the band — with longtime mainstays Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench still onboard — acted as a quick-riffing jukebox. They blasted through several familiar tunes including a lava-hot “Mary Jane's Last Dance” before treating the crowd to a new song, “Have Love Will Travel.” As with other debut material like “Can't Stop the Sun” and “Lost Children” — Petty said the band will release a new CD in the early fall — “Travel” was a happy mix of churning rock, psychedelic structures and sunbeam melodies.

These were impressive tunes, crafted to allow the prism of a whole history of rock influences shine through Petty's precise vision. With the Heartbreakers stretching out over elastic segments that lent a prog as well as Dead-like flavor, it was rather like Captain Beyond's Rhino had been appointed head coach of the Strawberry Alarm Clock, barking out, “Drop and give me bar chords!”

But Petty and company didn't overdo the new material, offering just enough to tantalize. Otherwise, hit after hit delighted a crowd that stood and cheered throughout. Other high points included “It's Good to Be King” and “Refugee,” and though Petty has abandoned the frenetic stadium-jogs of younger days for an easy stage-swagger and a fond and amiable relationship with his body of work, the show was clearly sincere.

In support, Brian Setzer brought his Trio out for a nuclear display of guitar virtuosity that indicated just how far he's come since his shtick-heavy days fronting the Stray Cats. To be sure, with the upright bassist, the retro-bowling clothes and Flock of Seagulls-get-pompadours haircuts, the rockabilly roots were always present. But whether roaring through Alvin Lee-style rockers, waxing virtuosic on a space-age version of The Shadows-associated “Sleepwalk,” or picking up a banjo for a remarkable “Gentle On My Mind” — yeah, that “Gentle On My Mind” — Setzer proved a true wizard.

Rock Steady

By BEN HOROWITZ
Star-Ledger Staff

When it comes to giving a rock 'n' roll party, Tom Petty is an expert host. He knows just how to mix old favorites with new songs, and he knows how to vary his sets enough from tour to tour to keep it sounding fresh yet familiar. And in the midst of performing with one of the finest rock bands on the planet, Petty always remembers to graciously thank his guests for coming to the party and enjoying it so much.

Performing before a virtually sold-out crowd Saturday night at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, Petty and his band, the Heartbreakers, were in top form. A comfortably cool night provided the perfect setting for a hot yet loose two-hour concert. The crowd continually roared its approval, and Petty offered thanks a dozen times.

Petty and the Heartbreakers are in just the second week of a tour that began after they finished recording a new studio album, which is expected to be released in October. The recent time spent trying new things in the studio, and enjoying that time, showed as the band appeared relaxed while putting new spins on some of the old songs and as Petty and lead guitarist Mike Campbell played powerful two-guitar jams.

Petty introduced three songs from the next album. Rather than bog down the party-hearty crowd by playing all three at once, Petty deftly interspersed the songs throughout the concert, giving each a special focus.

The new songs indicated Petty is up for new challenges in expanding on various facets of classic-rock. Each song was a complex piece with varying paces and several distinct parts, yet boasting a catchy chorus or refrain. "Have Love, Will Travel" provided the most immediate gratification. An anthemic, mid-tempo benediction, its heavy organ and twangy guitar combination suggested Bob Dylan playing with the Band. "Lost Children" was a shimmering, psychedelic number with a guitar solo that recalled Blind Faith's blues-driven "Can't Find My Way Home."

A quiet three-song segment, on which Petty played acoustic guitar with hushed accompaniment from various band members, provided a lovely surprise and demonstrated the durability of Petty's songwriting. A slowed-down "Rebels" was particularly revealing, as Petty put the song in clear, sad perspective, carefully enunciating the lyrics, "with one foot in the grave, and one foot on the pedal, I was born a rebel."

But as always at a Petty concert, fast-moving, feel-good rock 'n' roll was the order of the night. A thick, rich, rocking "I Won't Back Down" was a jarring delight that far surpassed the recorded version. A torrid "Running Down a Dream," highlighted by Campbell's soaring guitar solo, opened the show on a high note indicating the band was already warmed up. The band had lost none of its steam by the end of the set, when it tore through mighty versions of "Refugee," "Too Much Ain't Enough" and "You Wreck Me."

The set did have some touches that are now overly familiar. Campbell's double-necked guitar solo on "It's Good to Be King" has become predictable, and Petty's long rap during the instrumental break on Van Morrison's "Gloria" has become tiresome and should be put to rest. But these are minor flaws in what can only be characterized as an outstanding show.

The opening act, the Brian Setzer Trio, offered an energetic, rollicking but truncated set of swinging rockabilly music that recalled Setzer's early '80s band, the Stray Cats. The 17,000-capacity amphitheater was no more than one-tenth full during the set, and this annoyed Setzer, who complained that not enough people had come inside. He sullenly walked off the stage after playing less than 20 minutes, leaving audience members perplexed and booing, with a sour taste in their mouths, which was unlikely to translate into sales of Setzer CDs.

Buffalo News Review

Petty, Heartbreakers light fire under SPAC

By GREG HAYMES
Times Union staff

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- After a surprisingly lethargic and oddly paced show last year, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers came roaring back to form at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Friday.

Petty has been rockin' for more than a quarter of a century now, but his trademark sly sneer was still intact. And his sense of restlessness and rebellion didn't seem to have withered much over the years, either.

Blending together the best parts of garage rock, the British Invasion and the Dylan-esque singer-songwriters, Petty has crafted songs full of rich, distinctly American music that is anchored in the past, but not enslaved by it. On Friday night, he uncorked most those majestic hits that earned him a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this past March.

Starting with a bracing run through ``Running Down a Dream,'' Petty and the Heartbreakers put the pedal to the metal, roaring through the defiant ``I Won't Back Down,'' the churning ``I Need to Know'' and the bristling, anthemic ``Even the Losers'' (one of the finest examples of Petty's ability to fuse the Byrds' sense of melody and riffs with the Stones' muscle and swagger).

The 51-year-old Petty slowed the pace mid-set for the back-to-back pairing of the meandering ``You Don't Know How It Feels'' and the sprawling, epic, ``It's Good to Be King,'' but the band quickly snapped back to form with the roaring ``Refugee.''

Petty hasn't released a new album since 1999's underwhelming ``Echo,'' but he took advantage of this tour to preview a couple of tunes from a new album that's slated for a fall release. The loping, Dylan-esque love song, ``Have Love, Will Travel,'' was the highlight, spiked with psychedelic guitar riffs from Mike Campbell.

While it's Petty's name above the title, so to speak, the Heartbreakers are a classic rock band that can stand with the best of them. With the edgy guitar work of Campbell and the splashy keyboard fills of Benmont Tench, the band rode a mean groove over the rock-solid rhythms of drummer Steve Ferone and prodigal son-bassist Ron Blair, who has returned to the fold after a two-decade absence. Scott Thurston is also an invaluable member, handling chores on guitar, keyboards, harmonica and harmony vocals.

Guitar slinger Brian Setzer stuck close to his rockabilly roots for a revved-up 55-minute opening set. Eschewing the neo-swing sounds that he's been pumping out in recent years, Setzer and the rest of his trio dug back to his Straycats roots with such vintage hits as ``Rock This Town'' and ``Stray Cat Strut'' and more recent fare like the high-octane ``Hell Bent'' and ``This Cat's On a Hot Tin Roof.''

Petty basks in the sunshine

By DAVE TIANEN
Journal Sentinel staff

Several years ago, I ventured into a music store in search of a Roger McGuinn album. When teenage clerk No.1 professed complete mystification, teenage clerk No. 2 came to the rescue.

"You know," he said, "that guy who sounds like Tom Petty."

Tom Petty would certainly enjoy that story because Roger McGuinn was a major influence of his, and when Petty reached back into the mist Sunday night at Summerfest for an oldie like "Here Comes My Girl," you're reminded of how much jangly impact the Byrds had on Petty.

But they are certainly not the sum of his art because like all the best rockers, he has taken his influences and made them his own.

There's a new Petty and the Heartbreakers album due out this fall, and Petty shared a sampling with the Summerfest crowd. It seems like a promising project.

"Lost Children" has the feel of a musical prayer that blends snatches of wah-wah guitar with an almost hushed delivery. "Have Love Will Travel" smacks of the kind of plaintive country ballad that Levon Helm always prospered with.

Always a playful presence on stage, Petty seemed in exceptional spirits Sunday. Not even a cranky amplifier that held up the show for five minutes in the middle of his set could derail his good mood. When they finally got things back into working order, Petty burst into an impromptu rendition of "You Are My Sunshine" that had the crowd singing along. Later in the evening, "Learning to Fly" actually closed with a birdcall.

Although he came out rocking hard, I thought the evening's best stretch came in the middle. The almost pensive "It's Good To Be King" got a surprisingly extensive treatment with both Mike Campbell and Petty stretching out on guitar but without the kind of showy dynamics that usually implies in a rock concert. When Petty leans back on his southern roots, he often evokes the rough-hewn beauty of Dylan's gunfighter sagas or acoustic Neil Young.

One minor quibble. For some reason, they dispensed with the projection screens Sunday. In a house the size of the Marcus, the screens should be semi-mandatory.

Opening for Petty was Brian Setzer. The swing fad has swung out the door, and so Setzer has returned to his hepcat ways with a rockabilly trio. Setzer may want you to believe he's just an old alley cat, but there's always been a restless musical intelligence lurking beneath that towering blond pompadour. There was plenty of fast and hard rockabilly Sunday. "Rock This Town" and Eddie Cochran's "Twenty Flight Rock" were highlights, but Setzer also picked up a banjo for a straight-up run at John Hartford's "Gentle on My Mind."

To prove he's also a Nashville cat, he later had a go at Chet Atkins' "Guitar Rag." Of course, being Setzer, he sounded like Atkins after four or five cans of Jolt.

There's also more than a bit of jazzer to Setzer. His radical reinvention of Santo & Johnny's "Sleepwalk" was the kind of trip you can make only if you can improvise in your sleep.