TP&H-Looking good & sounding great!

***Relaxing in my $12.99 canvas folding chair from CVS Pharmacy, enjoying the warm, Southern sun, sipping on a cold, refreshing beer, and completely squished amongst thousands of other music fans, I was ready for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers!! I wasn’t necessarily dying to see them, since I’ve seen them a million times before, but I certainly wasn’t disappointed that they were here! Had I chosen the headliners for the occasion, I probably wouldn’t have picked any of the ones that were scheduled this weekend, as I would rather have experienced some newer bands. But, it wasn’t up to me and the choices were pretty darned cool, historically speaking and nostalgic as they come!

Stylish Tom (with Steve on drums.)

Upon taking the stage, I was pleasantly surprised by how sylish the men looked. Tom sported a blue suit, tie, and cool sunglasses; Benmont Tench and Scott Thurston (keyboards, harmonica, guitar) were decked out in sports jackets; Steve Ferrone (drums) buttoned up in a collared shirt. Mike Campbell (lead guitar) stayed pretty true to form with rolled up shirt sleeves and a black leather vest. Oh, and it looked like Tom had recently been to the salon, with his nicely styled (and dyed?) hair and well groomed beard. (Thank you JumboTron for allowing me to see these ever important details!) I was also happy to see pretty much the same lineup from the historic 20 show run at San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium back in March of 1999. I caught three of those smaller, more intimate shows and was so mesmerized that the experience hasn’t left me, yet.

Tom & the guys started off with a bang, playing crowd favorites ‘Listen to Her Heart,’ ‘U Wreck Me,’ and  ‘Won’t Back Down,’ before spinning off into a mixed bag of everything. For over two hours (longer than planned) they pleased their audience (which was massive, by the way) with a variety of original hits, a number of covers, lesser known songs, Traveling Wilburys tunes, acoustics, as well as throwing in some new songs. I was very impressed with the sharpness of the band, along with the quality vocals. After seeing so many bands from the 1970s and ‘80s, then and now, I have been disappointed with the downfall of the singers’ voices. Not here. These guys hit the notes, sang with strength, and delivered a terrific live performance. “We’re so excited to be here. We’ve been trying to come to Jazz Fest for many years!” Petty announced happily to the cheering crowd who was thrilled to have them. http://www.tompetty.com/news/title/watch-the-band-take-the-stage-at-jazzfest 

                       Rockin’ Mike Campbell

 

Ever since seeing Tom & the Heartbreakers at the Fillmore, and watching them up close and in detail, I have been a big fan of Mike Campbell. He is such a quiet, unassuming guitarist, but drives his sound deep into my bones to where I have ended up with goosebumps. And, even from way far back in the Jazz Fest crowd, his guitar playing permeated through my skin. There’s just something about this man’s style that sends me into a trance every time!

The evening ended with the guys playing “Refugee” – well almost, because of course, the boys came back for an encore, which featured two of their ‘biggies!’ I, as usual, tried predicting what they’d be. One was totally obvious, as I knew from the get-go that they always save it for their encore, and that would be “American Girl.” But first was “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” which got everyone fired up, as did them playing two encores when their allotted time had already run out. Thanks, guys! And, thanks Jazz Fest!!

                  A dapper Benmont Tench