Into the Great Wide Open: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Make for a Fun Night at the Friendly Confines -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
w/opening act Chris Stapleton
Wrigley Field, Chicago
June 29, 2017
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Let me quickly get this out of the way, so as not to harp on it.

"Breakdown," "Listen to Her Heart," "I Need to Know," "Don't Do Me Like That," "Even the Losers," "Here Comes My Girl," "Shadow of a Doubt (A Complex Kid)," "Century City," "The Waiting," "A Thing About You," "A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)" "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," "Change of Heart," "Straight Into Darkness," "A One Story Town," "Southern Accents," "Rebels," "Jammin' Me," "Runaway Trains."

That's a list of 19 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers songs not played Thursday night at Wrigley Field, nor for the most part any of the previous 6 times I'd seen them since 1999. (I also saw them in 1981--my first concert ever--and 1989.)

As all of these are songs I love, I would have relished hearing any of them dusted off, frankly in lieu of several of the 19 tunes that were played at the first concert ever held at the home of the World Champion Chicago Cubs. (Not the first ever at Wrigley; figure it out.)

This reflects my common complaint about Petty in concert: He tends to stick to the same basic script every time, preferring his work from 1989 forward and many of the same mid-tempo choices ("Mary Jane's Last Dance," "You Don't Know How It Feels," "I Won't Back Down," "Learning to Fly," etc.; see the Wrigley setlist here).

And while entirely gracious in thanking the crowd after nearly every song, in his inability to deviate from form he never mentioned the rain freely falling during the show's first half, failed to thank his stellar opening act, Chris Stapleton, and--though he did don a jersey for the 2-song encore--didn't mention the Cubs.

Alas, substantially shaking things up or offering the type of venue-specific spontaneity that might make a Wrigley show feel unique from, say, arena shows in Ohio--I dreamed of a "The Waiting" and "Even the Losers" twosome dedicated to the home team that won its first title in 108 years, but neither was played--isn't what Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers do.

Given that this is billed as their "40th Anniversary Tour"--though the band's eponymous debut album came out in 1976--I've had plenty of time to get used to Mr. Petty's proclivities.

And while I'd agree that it seems some somewhat dense to bitch about it repeatedly, it isn't merely that I wish he would play some different songs from his deep catalog--maybe just swapping one or two surprises into each show--I truly believe his concerts would be better for it.

Not shockingly, my review of the TP&HBs' 2014 show at United Center--when 12 of the same songs were played--struck a similar note, as would have those in 2008, 2006, 2003, 2001 & 1999 had I been writing regularly.

But now that I'm done with my petty grousing about what one of my favorite singers didn't play, do or say, the truth is that he and his erstwhile band were pretty darn great within the Friendly Confines, even rocking out most impressively on some setlist choices I would've readily excised ("It's Good to Be King," "I Should Have Known It.")

So not only does Tom Petty--47 years after he formed Mudcrutch with guitarist Mike Campbell and, soon, pianist Benmont Tench, both still Heartbreakers--have every right to play whatever the heck he wants to, it can be well-argued that he knows what his current fans want to hear far better than me.

In fact, when he did reach back for an old hit he claimed not to have played for 30 years before this tour--"You Got Lucky"--it seemed the fans around us rejoiced in it far less than for "Learning to Fly."

Though I believe my consistent kvetching has some validity, I really do love Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers--and have ever since first hearing "Refugee" and the Damn the Torpedoes album in 1979.

So in my favorite place on earth, alongside two of my closest friends, on a night when it rained but never too hard--following my frantically driving through a deluge the night before, and closing out a month of outdoor shows in which I got completely lucky weatherwise--preceded by an excellent opening act (though Chris Stapleton was a bit hard to fully appreciate through heavier rain), and having been quite classily granted much better seats upon complaining that our ticketed spot was blocked by a speaker, it was rather joyous to sing along with "Free Fallin'," "Into the Great Wide Open," "Don't Come Around Here No More," "Yer So Bad" and "Runnin' Down a Dream." (Along with Campbell, Tench, bassist Ron Blair, drummer Steve Ferrone and multi-instrumentalist Scott Thurston, it was nice to see the Heartbreakers augmented by background vocalists, The Webb Sisters, who I recalled having done likewise for the late Leonard Cohen.)

Rather aptly, the show began with the first song off Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers--"Rockin' Around (With You)"--and ended with the last, "American Girl," which led perfectly into fireworks and the 4th of July holiday weekend.

Sure, I would've preferred if the first encore song "You Wreck Me"--which I've heard in the same slot at most prior gigs--gave way to "The Waiting," "Even the Losers," "Don't Do Me Like That," "I Need to Know," etc., etc., but I can't deny it rocked.

I think it's pretty clear that Tom Petty will never fully satisfy me, live, but also that he doesn't have to.

For his sake or mine.

Now 66, Petty has supposedly suggested this might be the last major tour for the Heartbreakers.

But even if I presumably will never hear them play "A Thing About You" or "Change of Heart," I hope to have the chance to see them again.

That's how good they remain, as proven yet again on a wet and wonderful night at Wrigley Field.

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Petty Criticism: Early Rockers Too Sparse, but New Songs Lift Heartbreakers Above Mid-Tempo Groove -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
w/ opening act Steve Winwood
United Center, Chicago
August 23, 2014

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The first rock concert I attended of my own volition was by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on June 17, 1981, when I was just 12 years old.

As part of a radio promotion, The Loop--WLUP 97.9 FM, which still exists today--bought all tickets to Petty's concert at the Rosemont Horizon (on the Hard Promises tour) and gave them away.

By virtue of standing in line at the FlipSide at Lincoln Village, I got a pair, and my dad took me to the show.

Although I was happy to be there--though dissuaded from buying a $12 concert jersey--I remember thinking how much older my dad seemed than everyone else there.

He was just a year older than I am now, and 18 years younger than Tom Petty is.

And by the looks of the crowd at Saturday night's show at the United Center, I am not the only one who is growing old with the Heartbreakers.

Though a bit oddly, unlike my dad, I was on the young side of the full house.

Including last night, I have now seen Tom Petty and his erstwhile band eight times since 1981 and, while with the last being in 2008 I have never before written a review, they would all largely have had the same gist as this one...

That while I love the man, his band and their music, enough to see them every time they tour--and have always liked them in concert--I haven't loved Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as a live act as much as I want to.

Tour after tour, and again Saturday night at the UC, Petty includes several of the same mid-tempo songs from 1989-1993 as staples: "I Won't Back Down," "Learning to Fly," "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and "Free Fallin'"

All of these are good songs individually--and clear singalong crowd pleasers for most--with the latter being one of my favorites of Petty's entire catalog.

But with three of these songs among the first 8 played, along with a lesser-played one of similar era and ilk--"Into the Great Wide Open"--and two covers ("So You Wanna Be a Rock 'n Roll Star" and "Baby, Please Don't Go"), it was hard for me to "get into" the show early on as much as I wanted.

And a similar vibe weighted down a good portion of the rest of the 2-hour show, as well. (See the full Tom Petty Chicago setlist on Setlist.fm)

This is largely because the great Mr. Petty, while showing he has written many a catchy pop song, wasn't letting one of the greatest American rock bands of all-time rock.

Yes, the band burned on the tail end of "Baby, Please Don't Go" and sounded invigorated in showcasing songs from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' really terrific new album, Hypnotic Eye, their best since the 1980s. 

"American Dream Plan B," "Forgotten Man," "U Get Me High" and "Shadow People" all came off well and showed--like other favorites Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam--that despite being hugely successful for decades, Petty still has common-man empathy and is emphatically (and melodically) angered by the financial & societal injustices that continue to proliferate.

But though in one way it's a great testament to Petty & his band (including Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Ron Blair, Steve Ferrone and an additional sideman, Scott Thurston) to say that his newest songs were among the concert's highlights--and this is without their playing my three favorite Hypnotic Eye tracks: "Fault Lines," "Red River" and "All You Can Carry"--there's also a considerable quibble that it exposes.

For years I have been telling anyone who would listen--mainly just me--that I really wish Petty would mine his great pre-1983 catalog much deeper in concert.

Album tracks like "A Thing About You," "Straight Into Darkness," "Change of Heart," "Kings Road," "One Story Town" and "Runaway Trains" (the latter from 1987) are among TP & the HB's best songs, along with better-known cuts "I Need to Know," "Listen to Her Heart," "Don't Do Me Like That," "Even the Losers," "The Waiting," and "You Got Lucky"  that were included on their 1993 Greatest Hits album. (Check out My Petty Setlist on Spotify.)

Yet none of these were played on Saturday night, and many never or rarely at Petty shows I've seen.

And just when I began to think that maybe I was being a Petty douchebag for getting frustrated at one of my favorite artists playing what he wants to play rather that what I'd prefer to hear--especially as he's still filling stadiums at 63 and Saturday's crowd was raucously appreciative--he and the band ripped through Hard Promises' "A Woman In Love (It's Not Me)."

Per Setlist.fm, this was just the second time this tour the 1981 song was played, and it sounded really fantastic. Validating--along with stellar renditions of early hits but longtime concert staples "Refugee" and "American Girl"--my sense that it would intensify Petty's concerts, my emotional investment and my satisfaction if he would occasionally throw in a few of the songs I cited a few paragraphs back.

Certainly I understand that Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers long ago earned the right to play what they want to play, and--given the full house and great applause, for which Tom effusively expressed his gratitude--they're obviously still doing a whole lot right.

Including, in the eyes of many--whether seeing the band for the first time or repeatedly like me--trotting out "Learning to Fly" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance" again and again in lieu of ripping through more MIA early rockers.

To Petty's credit, relative rarities "Rebels," "Angel Dream (No. 2)" and "Yer So Bad"--played consecutively, with beautiful, sparse acoustic takes on the first two--sounded wonderful, further reiterating the benefit of mixing things up a bit.

And my @@@@ rating (out of 5) genuinely means to connote that I liked the show much more than I didn't.

But in a year in which I've seen several all-time favorites--Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Elvis Costello, John Fogerty, Paul Simon (+ Sting), Ringo Starr, Bob Mould--plus artists whose oeuvres I know & like considerably less than Petty's (such as Santana, Richard Thompson, New Order and Barry Gibb), in being truthful I must admit that I enjoyed his performance less than any of theirs.

Though I will say that in addition to sending me out into the night rather buoyantly with a closing run of "Refugee," "Runnin' Down a Dream," "You Wreck Me" and "American Girl"--with a cover of The Monkees' "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" also in the encores--Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers made sure the first hour was quite pleasing by enlisting the legendary Steve Winwood as an opening act.

At 66 and sporting gray mutton chops, the man who sang "Gimme Some Lovin'" at 16 (with the Spencer Davis Group) still sounds strong of voice, and is an extraordinary musician on piano/organ and guitar.

Winwood's hourlong opening set was a bit more relaxed than emphatic, but with a pair of drummers, a sax player and a guitarist, some truly fantastic songs--Spencer Davis Group's "I'm A Man," Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home," Traffic's "Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys," "Empty Pages," "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and Winwood's solo hit "Higher Love"--were done adequate justice, and once it filled in, the crowd bestowed a well-deserved ovation.

I would have loved to have heard "While You See a Chance," but Winwood was good enough in exploring his past glories--if only in small part--to make me wish to see him do another headlining show.

He also played with Petty in 2008 at the United Center, and with Eric Clapton the following year.

But if he wants to hit the Chicago Theatre or a similar venue with his fine band, I'll be there.

And I'll probably be back the next time Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers come through town.

Still hoping to hear more of the old...and more of the new. 

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Here's Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' terrific version of "A Woman In Love (It's Not Me)" posted to YouTube by ZepCowboy: