Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker at the Hollwood Bowl

By Maya Dawn Henderson

I’ve always thought Tom Petty to be one of the most brilliant songwriters alive. His music seeps out everywhere; it’s in bars and clubs, it’s on the radio, in your car, in grocery stores, but it also seems to somehow just hang in the air. You hear it whether you want to or not. You don't have to go lookin' for it. It’s so wide. Of course, living in the valley, I think of him every time I drive west - down - Ventura Boulevard. This being my first Tom Petty show ever, I was beyond excited and thought it to be a seriously overdue, must-have experience. To make it even better the show was at the Hollywood Bowl, the best LA venue, hands down - for a summer evening. They got on stage and ripped right into a flurry of classics; You Wreck Me, Listen To Her Heart and Won’t Back Down.

“How are you out there? I’ve come back to rock Hollywood”, he muttered, under long blonde bangs and a toothy grin. The 18,000-strong, filled-to-capacity-crowd stood up and roared. Few rock stars reflect their personalities so genuinely as Tom Petty. Great melodies and lyrical hooks, fat, ringing acoustics, and occasional Dylan-like delivery, with those little lifts or drops at the end of every line. Always puzzling in the way of genres; sort of like the roots of rock, punk, new wave, country, blues and folk, and smidgens of Southern rock. They all fuse together in his timeless songs. They continued on with Even The Losers and flawlessly fell into Free Fallin’, with some beautiful chiming twelve-string guitars accompanying.

Surpassing three decades on their rock & roll run, this truly American institution may be hitting their stride just now, with strong and stunning musicianship matched with solid and creative showmanship. In the 2007 epic 4-hour documentary by Peter Bogdanovich, ‘Runnin' Down a Dream’, the mellow, yet intense song-maker admits he would be lost without The Heartbreakers. "There's something special about this group of people," he said of his longtime band members. "I treasure it now because one link in the chain gone can make it all go away." Perhaps that’s why Petty fans, especially those hailing him at the Bowl on this evening, clearly feel such a strong, personal connection to their rock icon and his beloved band, The Heartbreakers. He introduced them so proudly. “Over here on my left, playin’ guitar, singing, he’s on keyboards and harmonica, we got Scott Dursten. Over on my right up here, girls take it easy, it couldn’t get any better, on the grand piano… it’s Benmont Tench!” He went on praising each of them… “And a man I can honestly say is my idol… on the drums, Steve Ferrone!” He paused for a moment… “and this fella, he’s had such a lot to do with keeping this band together for all these years, he’s a great musician, he was there when we started and he’s there tonight… on the bass guitar, Ron Blair… and you know you love him, ‘cause he’s the co-captain, he’s the lead guitar, Mike Campbell!!”… The Heartbreakers received equal adoration in applause and a standing ovation followed. Fans around me attested, guitarist Mike Campbell has never been better.

Multi-instrumentalist Scott Thurston showed off his vocal skills, especially during the Traveling Wilburys' tune, End of the Line, where the audience-of-all-ages went completely wild at the first opening strums of the guitar. They went on to do Mary Jane and the obsolete ‘99 Europe only, B-side, Sweet William. This was truly a magical evening. Even the stage looked incredible with giant bubbly lighting rigs, multiple video screens, and the surreal beauty of the Bowl’s natural backdrop. Earlier on, Steve Winwood delivered a jam-happy opening performance. He played mixed material from his latest album, Nine Lives, with hits ranging as far back as the '60s, and some favorites from his years with his psychedelic band, Traffic. He didn’t leave out a few mega-hits from his solo career, like Higher Love. Unfortunately, the decibels were so subdued that Winwood’s soulful voice almost blended into background music as people chattered or lingered at concession stands. What a shame. Luckily, mid-way through Petty’s set, they welcomed Winwood back out for a take-the-house-down, mind-blowing rendition of Blind Faith’s, Can’t Find My Way Home. The drum crashes were colossal. They also rocked the Spencer Davis Group’s Gimme Some Loving and showcased some steamy, hot piano work from Winwood. Another rippin’ piano solo by Benmont Tench followed on Face In The Crowd. The Heartbreakers played the bluesy, ZZ Top-like number, Saving Grace and I just adored watching Tom Petty do Honey Bee. He has this fetching aire, a kind of rockabilly cockiness about him, with a swagger and a wink and a little mixed-up teenage confliction, all backed by a band that sounds way tighter than it has a right to.

They played Refugee with the kind of energy and unbridled glee that comes with getting back on stage for the first time in a long time. The audience felt their adrenaline and reciprocated. During the tune, Don’t Come Around Here No More, Petty uncorked a secret singing-talking, Southern-drawl baritone that counterbalanced his usual languid drone. The encore set included, Runnin’ Down A Dream, it crackled with that spirit of defiance and energy of being who he is, a rock 'n' roll bantam to the core. They played Gloria, again with Winwood, and closed up the night with the killer riffs and heart-melting choruses of American Girl. This song is beautiful and it’s simply vintage Tom Petty. In the end, it’s not folk, country, pop, blues, r ‘n b, or rock & roll music. It’s all these things and more. It’s Petty’s music and no one else on this planet makes it. He seems to defy any kind of category. It’s just Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. What else does anyone need?

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