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Tom Petty: Still Rockin’ Us His Way - by Melanie Campbell

Gainesville-native Tom Petty has spent a good part of his career biting the hand that’s fed him—a hand attached to a system that very nearly broke him several times. He was once bankrupted by a scurrilous publishing deal, and fought MCA Records’ intention to raise the list price of his 1979, first ‘mega-star-status’ record, “Damn The Torpedoes,” which he won. You’ll never hear a Heartbreakers’ tune selling products on television, and the band has always eschewed corporate sponsorship on their tours.

I helped Melanie with a bunch of the statistical information. Click on the picture to read the full story. Be sure to check out the nice little credit at the end!

Tom Petty delivers ‘rollicking’ rock show - Veteran rocker captivates crowd of nearly 6,000 fans

By PHIL LUCIANO

Journal Star critic

PEORIA - Who delivered that rollicking show at the Peoria Civic Center arena Sunday night?

What with all the blues rock, it must’ve been George Thorogood and The Heartbreakers, right?

But what about the silly dancing, bravura storytelling and countless sing-alongs. Was it Bruce Springsteen and The Heartbreakers?

Then again, the lead guitarist nearly stole the show. So, could it have been Mike Campbell and The Heartbreakers?

It was, exhilaratingly, all those shows rolled into one. And there’s no one better at rolling than Tom Petty, the loopy, flaxen-haired scarecrow who laconically commands one fantastic arena-rock band.

Petty and Co. enthralled a crowd of just under 6,000 - young, old and otherwise - for each of their 110 minutes. That’s no easy chore, especially for someone as laid back as Petty.

After a quarter-century of recording, Petty boasts a mighty set list. But he and the Heartbreakers offer more than solid tunes and precision musicianship - they breathe life and excitement into every song, an achievement the audience can feel, appreciate and celebrate.

Moreover, Petty enjoys his job. With eyelids apparently as heavy as concrete, allowing just tiny slits for sight, he chewed gum and smiled warmly all night. Genuinely impressed by the adulation, he sometimes looked like the cat who ate the canary. Yet he never came off as condescending; after many songs he would go through elaborate, tongue-in-cheek gestures of gratitude, like a jester bowing before a king.

The stage consisted of a tapered, soaring overhang, sort of like the gaping roof of a serpent’s mouth. The backdrop flashed and mixed psychedelic and solid hues, while the lights occasionally sent swirling bursts of color into the crowd. Wow, man.

Petty sauntered onto the stage clad in an aquamarine corduroy jacket, tan trousers, weathered brown boots, a black T-shirt and earth-tone scarf nattily tucked into a brown vest. He and his backing sextet launched into the band’s first hit, "American Girl," and the crowd exploded.

The set list included the title track from last year’s CD, "The Last DJ," which produced perhaps the night’s tightest, layered musical interplay. But most of the show was spent on familiar rock-radio hits - "Free Falling," "You Got Lucky," "You Wreck Me" - and included the fan favorite "You Don’t’ Know How it Feels," which prompted a mass, self-satisfied sing-along to the line, "Let’s roll another joint."

"This is our first trip to Peoria in 20 years!" he chirped to the crowd. Actually, he’s a dozen years off: the band sold out 9,000 seats at the arena in ‘95.

No matter. The spectators on the main floor stayed on their feet the entire performance, applauding not only every tune but also Petty’s playful antics, ranging from his trippy footwork and Phish-fan-like twirling to his sing-and-response calls and anecdotes.

Other highlights of the night included Petty nonchalantly intoning, "A long time ago, there was a band called the Traveling Wilburys" before slipping into "Handle With Care." Later, the band debuted a new song, the Spanish-flecked ballad "Melinda," featuring an intricately energetic yet eerie piano solo by Benmont Tench.

Meanwhile, dropping dynamite throughout the show was guitarist Campbell, who accented "Woman in Love" and "Refugee" by absolutely shredding his guitar. On "The Waiting," Petty got in on the solo act, segueing into a funky riff (was there a wah-wah pedal somewhere on that stage?) that could’ve felt home on the "Shaft" soundtrack.

Near the end of the performance, the band pounded through two meaty covers, The Animal’s "I’m Crying" and Muddy Waters’ "Baby, Please Don’t Go." The rocking blues, pounded out with crash-bang aplomb by the Heartbreakers, had the crowd hooting, hollering and head-bobbing.

The only complaint: The backing vocals often sounded ragged. Worse, on "Mary Jane’s Last Dance" and "Running Down A Dream," harmony vocals from newcomer Scott Thurston, who handles harmonica, guitar and keyboards, drowned out Petty during the refrains. Maybe that’s the sound man’s fault; regardless, Petty’s voice is still full and strong enough to handle all leads.

Opening the evening was Mavis Staples, of the Staples Singers. She delivered a 50-minute set of slow-burn funk and gospel that captivated the audience, much of which was on its feet at the end of her show.

Tom Petty and band kept the hits coming Friday - Petty perfection
By Joe Tougas
Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO — Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' concert Friday night was a return to something that we all know is there, but can get too busy to remember.

It was about songs that stick with you beyond a moment of controversy or infamy; songs that haven't been stuck onto a Ford or Chevy; songs on a hot summer night from an American band that has always been there, but never been here.

And for two hours, the Petty and the Heatbreakers carved themselves a place that made for a great night and, easily, one of the best rock shows the Civic Center has seen in its seven years running.

If you came for an artist who was eager to share his new material, you were in the wrong place. Although Petty's most recent album, "The Last DJ," is among his best and most socially poignant, he performed only the title track.

For the rest of the night, it was a greatest hits show, but with the nostalgia. Petty's work has lasted not so much because of cool chops, but because he writes lyrics that can last - "Refugee," for instance, will work in 2003 as well as it did in 1980. But in 1980, we didn't hear him and band expand on the tune and turn it into an infectious stomp that would have raised the eyes of Crazy Horse. Friday night, though, we did.

What Petty and the venerable Heatbreakers provided at their adrenaline-inducing show was a greatest hits package that hit the two hour mark and still left more to be desired - but no one was complaining and fewer still were sitting throughout the show.

The honeymoon started before the vows - lights went down, Petty bowed as the five Heartbreakers took to their respective rock basics (plus a Hammond B-3).

From opening chords of the first number, "American Girl," the night was theirs. On its feet for three levels, the audience took Petty at his rock-star promise, and he made good.

From "American Girl," the hits kept-a-coming, and it's hard to imagine a more receptive audience.

"This is our first trip to Mankato," Petty said, pausing for a minute's worth of roars. "Since it's our first trip here, we thought it'd be fun to go way back in the catalogue." And his vintage Epiphone strummed the opening chords to "Free Falling," featuring the Civic Center audience on constant guess vocals.

The mood in the seats seemed to affect Petty as well. Grinning constantly, he distanced himself from the demure, poker-faced persona of his videos and prowled the edges of the stage throughout the show - nodding and grinning at the front rows.

Think of a hit, he played it (Save for the heartbreaking omission of "Breakdown" and "Don't Come Around Here No More.") But he threw in roadhouse renditions of Them's "Baby Please Don't Go" and "Hear Me Cryin'." He unveiled a new tune, "Melinda," which ventured from a Johnny Cash rhythm into a Grateful Dead piano jam and back again.

The energy of the night just bounced back and forth between audience and performer - these were old songs, indeed, but Petty would actually put his body into "The Waiting" as though it mattered. For real songwriters, of course, it does matter. And when he sang its line, "but never as good as I feel right now," the "now" was something everybody in the room shared, gratefully.

Petty fans rip it up at the DECC - BY V. PAUL VIRTUCIO
NEWS TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

The main floor of Tom Petty's Wednesday night concert at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Arena was more tightly packed than a Black Labels gig at John's Red Lion Lounge in downtown Duluth.

As soon as Petty and the Heartbreakers played the first chords to "American Girl," fans in the back rows flooded the aisles and jammed the front main floor. That's not normal behavior for Northlanders who know they're only supposed to sit where their ticket stub tells them.

That meant something different to the 5,569 people in the audience, depending on their demographics.

Those college-aged, local-band-patronizing Petty fans looked like they were having a freaky good time, standing shoulder-to-shoulder and front-to-back, spilling beer on each other, smoking (some tokin'), with girls sitting atop guys' shoulders and guys stripping their shirts as they proudly sang along.

Those in the been-there-done-that crowd who wanted to enjoy Petty's live music felt a little miffed at having paid a $54 ticket price only to be distracted and discomforted by the aisle dwellers.

Apparently, it's what the band was expecting to happen. Petty had requested that DECC security officials hang back and not prevent his fans from crowding forward or dancing in the aisles, said Craig Samborski, the DECC's entertainment director. So even though the concert was overstaffed with security personnel, they found themselves unable to turn back the tide of surging fans.

That only contributed to an absolutely wild night of Petty ambling, scooting and showboating about the stage as he played crowd favorites. Dressed in a pin-striped suit and metallic tie (which he later doffed as temperatures rose), Petty set the standard for veteran rockers who should be entertaining their fans instead of resting on their laurels as they blandly play their radio hits.

Petty's opening set of "American Girl" and "You Don't Know How It Feels" brought the crowd to a near orgasmic fervor, which he built upon with fulfilling versions of "Free Fallin'," "I Won't Back Down," "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and "Learning to Fly."

With an acoustic guitar, Petty played the Johnny Cash-like tune called "Melinda," a yet-unrecorded song. Though audience members didn't know the lyrics, their energies didn't abate.

The Heartbreakers provided dozens of evening highlights with each musician's extended solos. "Refugee" showcased Petty and lead guitarist Mike Campbell. Benmont Tench on piano blew the crowd away in "You Got Lucky."

Petty's favorite facial expression Wednesday was a look of awe: He was overwhelmed by the intense greeting he received at the DECC and he showed his appreciation by constantly bowing and embracing the air as if to embrace the entire crowd.

Throughout Petty's concert, the arena was filled with raised lighters, shirts and arms waved in ecstasy, fans singing proudly and couples making out fervently. It was a live concert that wasn't just about the music but about the experience.

Getting help with 'petty' problem - By VIRGINIA GRANTIER, Bismarck Tribune

Christmas time, sigh, a beautiful time at the Huber home. Take the tree decorating tradition: While the Tom Petty rock music plays, ornaments are placed on the branches, and then it's time. For the last one. For the official Tom Petty Christmas ornament, a silver tennis ball-sized globe with his image in black and white. It's always, always, the last one -- placed in the middle of the tree.

And in this family of four, there is only person, of course, year after year, who puts Petty in his place. Of course.

"Oh gosh, yes," said Shannon Huber, 39, who not only is the ornament placer and owner, but has a Tom Petty mug that's never used, don't try. Not even her beloved husband, Jon, is even slightly tempted to grab it from its kitchen counter position for use when all other mugs are dirty.

And she owns two guitar picks that she got from a Petty roadie as part of his apology for accidentally hitting her in the head with a crumpled drink cup after a concert. And there is plenty of other stuff -- concert ticket stubs, all his albums, a beach towel and so on.

Huber, a reputed jokester and funster, as well as a serious, devoted addiction counselor, according to her co-workers at Bismarck's Youthworks, admits to quite the Petty habit -- for the fun of it and because she loves his music. And also because of his life story, "I was fascinated (to learn) how hard he had to struggle."

And his lyrics inspired her not to give up when she, a former hard-partier and hard drinker, decided later in life to go to college, and it wasn't easy -- being that she was a widow then, a single working mom, nail technician with limited funds and two years into her sobriety.

She kept not quitting, pushing on, with his lyrics in the background, while she studied, and in the car, the house: "I won't back down. Won't back down. Stand my ground. Got just one life," she recited. Because she didn't back down, she graduated from the University of Mary in 1997.

Now, she's able to bring to youth who have alcohol and drugs problems her real-life understanding of what they're going through.

So when Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers come to Bismarck on Tuesday for a Civic Center concert, she'll be there. And she hopes to be able to share how inspirational he was.

The question is, where in there will she be? Currently, she and 13 others, family and friends, have seats in the eighth row even though she hurriedly bought tickets the first day they were available. That's seven rows too far away. Petty is coming to her town and to her, eighth row is the nose-bleed section. Can't have that. So for about five weeks she's been on a mission to try to convince someone she knows to give up either one or both of their second row seats. In return, they can have Row 8 seats and an extra $100 to boot. So far, no go.

Jon Huber, her husband of four years, says that wherever she goes now, the gas station, grocery store, she stops people and asks if they have Petty tickets. He likes Petty, too, but at a different level of like.

Jon Huber recalled how deeply Petty impacts her -- take last year's labor-pain situation.

Last November, Shannon Huber went into labor way too early and doctors tried everything to get it to stop. But after six hours of consistent labor, about three minutes apart, nothing did the trick. Until, that is, at 11:30 p.m., when television host Jay Leno introduced Petty, and Petty started singing his song "The Last DJ," and then talked with Leno. Through it all -- seven or eight minutes, Jon Huber remembers, maybe up to 10 minutes, his wife remembers -- she had not one contraction.

"She was totally relaxed," Jon Huber remembers.

Then, it was over, commercial time, and the contractions started again.

"I told her maybe we should watch his video," he said, and laughed.

After some time in the intensive care unit, their daughter, 7 1/2 months old, is perfect and has already experienced a Petty concert road trip. Mother-in-law Carol Huber, very supportive of Shannon Huber's Petty devotion, agreed to travel with them to Sioux Falls, S.D., and baby-sit during the concert.

Shannon Huber would like hers and Petty's lives to cross, so, by the way, she's looking for backstage passes.

She has already crossed his driveway. While visiting relatives in Encino, Calif., a couple years ago, it was a main goal to also visit the Petty house, located not far away from grandpa's, said Justin Mikkelson, 18.

Shannon Huber stood in the driveway, for about five minutes, thinking deep thoughts:

"Just knowing that he had driven there," she said, and laughed.

She baked a chocolate cake on his Oct. 20 birthday once, brought it into work, again, just for the crazy, wacky fun of it all.

"There's so many good things about her," said co-worker Betty Althoff about Huber's serious side. "She's so understanding, so caring."

And so predictable.

Althoff said Huber got to work at 9 a.m. Thursday. Althoff remembers it was about 9:10 a.m. when the words "Tom Petty" came out of Huber's mouth. They always do, every day, sometimes once, sometimes more. More so now that the first row is still eluding her.

Civic Center Manager Dick Peterson said its his understanding there are still a few front-row tickets here and there -- and Petty himself has a hold on about three or four tickets.

Huber's had dreams, all the same dream. She's just about to meet Petty and something happens, and it doesn't happen. Never happens.

Tom, this is pretty petty -- stop draggin' her, stop draggin' her, stop draggin' her heart around.

Petty shines on forgotten gems - By Eric Lochridge, Journal Copy Editor

RAPID CITY -- If Steely Dan is the band the kills a party, then Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is the one that doesn't let it die.

It took them more than 25 years, but a gracious Petty and the Heartbreakers finally found their way to Rapid City, and the audience Thursday night at an almost-full Rushmore Plaza Civic Center arena clearly was ready for the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers' arrival.

Of course, we knew they couldn't go wrong with an arsenal of classics including "American Girl," "Refugee" and "The Waiting" (and even a Traveling Wilburys tune) included in the set list.

But aside from those must-play crowd pleasers, Petty and the boys ripped through a carefully crafted set that gleaned liberally from 1989's "Full Moon Fever" and otherwise grabbed jewels from throughout the band's unbelievable career.

Petty and the Heartbreakers took the stage in jackets and ties, probably the best-dressed rock band to hit the civic center since Bob Dylan showed up in formal Western attire. But before the show's halfway mark, the jackets were shed and the ties loosened.

Kicking off the show with their signature song, "American Girl," Petty dug in and offered the expected, the forgotten and a few surprises.

The central segment of any Petty show must be "Free Fallin'" as the well-trained audience chimes in and Petty backs off the vocals to take in the sound of thousands of voices in unison.

Petty's "new classics" stood up, too, especially "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and an acoustic "Learning to Fly."

As for forgotten songs, lead guitarist Mike Campbell shredded on "A Woman in Love," from 1981's "Hard Promises," and Petty deftly resurrected the Wilburys' "Handle With Care."

Among the surprises were a new, unrecorded song, "Melinda," which, if it is any indication of where Petty is headed, reveals that fans have much to look forward to. And as if we hadn't gotten enough already, the encore opened with the oft-covered "Baby Please Don't Go."

Add to that excellent selections like "I Won't Back Down," "Running Down a Dream" and "The Last DJ" (the only selection from their most recent CD), and the audience, at least those of us who didn't fall into drunken slumbers or stupors halfway through, got lucky.

Along with a pledge to return here every year, Petty remarked that it was the band's first show in South Dakota. So even though they kicked the tour off in Sioux Falls last week, we cut Tom some slack. After all, many of us west of the river feel the same way about our burgeoning sister metropolis to the east.

Partial Cedar Rapids Review - By Elysa Gardner, USA TODAY
Ok, I'm not paying for this one site to get the rest of the article! If YOU want to, go to http://www.gazetteonline.com/.

BUT, the first paragraph sounds AWESOME!

City wants Petty to come around here again - Cindy Taylor , Staff Writer

For more than 25 years, I've been listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Tuesday's concert at the Mid-America Center proves you're never too old to "rock and roll."

Opener Mavis Staples started the night off with her bluesy vocals for an hour ... then came the main draw. From the moment he hit the stage with "American Girl" Petty had everyone on their feet and rockin' for more than two hours.

At 52, Petty still sounds (and looks) like he did back in the 80s when us baby boomers were listening to him. He kept the crowd alive and everyone sang along to "Free Fallin'," "I Won't Back Down" and dozens more. I was amazed that even the teenagers in the audience knew all the words. Petty appeared relaxed and out to have a good time. Although at times, it was difficult to hear him (because of the excessive screaming of the crowd.) The closing song "You Wreck Me" had us all wanting more!

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Kick Off Soundstage - By Elysa Gardner, USA TODAY
Once upon a time, before American Idol was even a sparkle in some record company executive's eye, there was a show that offered already proven artists a chance to strut their stuff, unencumbered by hostile judges or goofy reality TV-inspired segments.