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Tom Petty & The Hearbreakers and ZZ Top at Walnut Creek in Raleigh NC (9/18/10)Sep 24 '10 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line While I was disappointed that their new album wasn't pushed as heavy, Petty and the Heartbreakers put on a tremendous show.
Originally posted on SuperfriendsUniverse.com When one decides to see a certain band perform live in concert, there has to be a particular reason. Very rarely can you say "I'm going to drop all this money on a ticket to see such-and-such perform just cause I feel like it". You have to be a fan of the artist you're seeing in one way, shape, or form. If not hardcore fan, then there's something that drives you to see the band. Case in point, I went to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform at the Time Warner Cable Pavilion at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, NC last week. Now I've never been the biggest Tom Petty fan, I don't own all his albums and I've never really listened to him as heavily as some other classic rock acts. But he's definitely a talented individual and has made some incredible tunes that I've heard on the radio, so I guess you could call me somewhat of a fan. But what was it that drove me to drop $91 of my hard-earned money to see this band play? It's simple: "Mojo". For those who don't know, "Mojo" is the group's new album released earlier this year; it's Petty's first new recording with the Heartbreakers in eight years, their last album together being 2002's "The Last DJ". It carries a heavy blues influence and I, a longtime lover of the blues, was drawn in immediately. After hearing a few tracks on youtube, I decided to give it a shot, and bought the album. Halfway through the record, I could already tell that it was worth the money; easily one of the best albums of the year. So when I heard that the band was coming to Raleigh, I decided to go. When I found out that the opening act was ZZ Top, I decided to give my brother a call to see if he wanted to come with. ZZ Top is another band I've never really listened to heavily, but I still enjoyed them. In fact, thats why I called my brother: he listened to ZZ Top more than I ever did. He had wanted to see the band perform live for a long time, but everyime they'd come around, they'd be touring with someone else he didn't like (like Kid Rock). But since he didn't mind Tom Petty, he decided to come with too. The concert, of course, was packed. I had not been to the TWC Pavilion in a long time, the last time being when I went to see Aerosmith and Kid Rock in 2002 (back then, the venue was called the Alltel Pavilion) and when I went, we had lawn seats and I couldn't see shit. But with actual venue seats, I thankfully would not repeat that scenario. ZZ Top played an hour long set filled with rocking blues numbers, starting with early tracks like "Waiting for the Bus" and "Jesus Just Left Chicago", following with minor hits like "Cheap Sunglasses" and "I Need You Tonight", and then finishing up with some of their biggest hits, like "La Grange", "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Tush". In the middle of their set, they payed tribute to Jimi Hendrix with a cover of one of his most well-known songs, "Hey Joe". It was only fitting, as lead singler Billy Gibbons has been acquainted with Hendrix (before joining ZZ Top, Gibbons was in a band called Moving Sidewalks that opened for Hendrix back in the day) AND the concert fell on the 40th anniversary of the guitar god's death. As for the main act, I can definitely say they put on a hell of a show. The only thing I found disappointing about the Petty's set was his lack of emphasis on the new material. As I mentioned before, their newest album "Mojo" came out earlier this year, and it's a really, really good album. Going into the concert, I assumed there was going to be a heavy focus on it; hell, anyone who bought a ticket was given a digital copy of the album for free! But they chose not to pimp the album out, instead performing only four of the album's songs back to back, two-thirds into the set, introducing the title to each song before they were played: The bluesy swagger of "Jefferson Jericho Blues", the hardcore slow blues of "Good Enough", the easy shuffle of "Running Man's Bible", and my favorite, the stinging Zepplin-esque "I Should Have Known It". With a crowd full of hardcore fans, Petty was basically telling them "this is our new stuff, we like it, hope you do too". While most of the crowd didn't give it as warm of a reception as the rest of the show, I was singing the songs and cheering like crazy, since I had played the album about 50 times since I had bought it. Instead of focusing more on the new material, Petty had opted to perform some of his biggest hits, both with the band ("Breakdown", "Mary Jane's Last Dance", "Refugee", and show closer "American Girl") and solo ("You Don't Know How it Feels", "I Won't Back Down", and "Free Fallin'"). While I could understand why he didn't want to alienate the fans who came to hear their favorite tunes, I do wish he threw in a couple recent songs into the set. But for me, the biggest surprise was "Don't Come Around Here No More" being the best song of the night. It's an odd little song, one that would never be a hit in the modern music landscape, and I've always found the studio version somewhat stilted. But live, the song was a high-octane rocking powerhouse, with the sober fans emphatically singing along, while the drunk and/or high ones were entranced by the Pink Floyd-esque laser light show. But despite any kind of disappointment I might have expressed, I still felt completely satisfied. I've heard nothing but great stories about how Petty and the Heartbreakers were one of the best live bands ever, and they certainly lived up to that reputation. Choosing ZZ Top as the opening act was a great move, and their hardcore blues served as the perfect prelude to Petty's all-encompassing American rock. If these two bands are coming to your town, I'd definitely recommend going to see them. THE BANDS Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Tom Petty: lead vocals and rhythm guitar Mike Cambel: lead guitar, referred to by Petty as the band's "co-captain" Benmont Tench - piano, organ, backing vocals Ron Blair - bass guitar, backing vocals Scott Thurston - rhythm guitar, harmonica, synthesizer, backing vocals Steve Ferrone - drums ZZ Top: Billy Gibbons - guitar and lead vocals Dusty Hill - bass and background vocals Frank Beard - drums and percussion THE SET LISTS: ZZ Top: 1. Got me Under Pressure 2. Waiting for the Bus 3. Jesus Just Left Chicago 4. Cheap Sunglasses 5. I Need You Tonight 6. Hey Joe (Jimi Hendrix cover) 7. Just Got Paid 8. Gimme All Your Lovin' 9. Sharp Dressed Man 10. Legs 11. La Grange 12. Tush Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: 1. Listen To Her Heart 2. You Don't Know How It Feels 3. I Won't Back Down 4. Free Falling 5. Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac cover) 6. Mary Jane's Last Dance 7. King's Highway 8. Breakdown 9. Jefferson Jericho Blues 10. Good Enough 11. Running Man's Bible 12. I Should Have Known It 13. Learning To Fly 14. Don't Come Around Here No More 15. Refugee Encore: 16. Runnin' Down A Dream 17. American Girl You can see some videoes from the concert at my youtube channel, Youtube.com/user/MCHeadcase. Forgive the shaky camerawork and the off-key background singing.  |
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