Livia
10-24-2006, 08:56 PM
Petty, Nicks and company transport desert crowd to rock 'n' roll stratosphere
By George A. Paul, Staff Writer
U-Entertainment
Article Launched:10/22/2006 11:36:45 PM PDT
CONCERT REVIEW
TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS, JACKSON BROWNE
Where: Indian Wells Tennis Garden
When: Saturday, Oct 21
Talk about spanning decades.
Over the course of a stellar two-hour show, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers delved into original and cover tunes from the 1950s right up to Petty's new solo disc "Highway Companion" his best since "Wildflowers."
The band, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary (the self-titled debut album arrived on Nov. 9, 1976) and contains veteran session men in lead guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench, was in fine form on Saturday night.
Tom Petty sure is one amiable rocker. Clad in a regal black jacket and vest, he smiled continuously, made friendly gestures to the crowd, said "I told you we were gonna have some fun" and glided across the stage with glee at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Three-quarters of the stadium (tennis tournament capacity: approximately 16,000) was filled. The venue started booking occasional rock concerts last year with The Eagles. The sound quality on the floor section (and upper deck, according to fan Ida Miller of Fullerton) was surprisingly good.
Campbell (still sporting those ridiculous-looking dreadlocks) launched the two-hour, 21-song set with Byrdsian jangle sounds on the buoyant "Listen to Her Heart." A full-bodied "Mary Jane's Last Dance" was enlivened by Scott Thurston's spirited harmonica playing and Campbell's short blasts. The guitarist provided some sturdy slide guitar work during "I Won't Back Down" and continued to impress with his dexterous skills all evening.
"Free Fallin'" had the crowd singing and swaying along as Campbell's chugging guitar complimented Tench and Thurston's supple background vocals. The Heartbreakers tore through the bluesy new John Lee Hooker-styled "Saving Grace" with vigor as Tench played single fingered barrelhouse piano. Petty said "this first came to us via the Yardbirds," prior to approaching the Bo Diddley stomper ("I'm a Man") in a similar vein.
Organ embellishments from Tench gave (the original) Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" a psychedelic vibe. Petty shook the maracas wildly alongside Campbell's smoking fretwork.
Petty introduced special guest and "honorary Heartbreaker" Stevie Nicks for the haunting "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." The Mac vocalist was dressed in a sequined black chiffon dress and sang into her trademark microphone stand adorned with colorful ribbons.
Nicks goes way back with the band, which originally performed on the haunting 1981 track her biggest solo hit to date. Before this tour, Petty and Nicks had only done it live together sporadically. The chemistry onstage between these best friends (not to mention Campbell, who she reportedly dated) gave the song a magical quality.
She added prominent backing vocals to the rollicking "I Need to Know" and reprised her duet on the stately, acoustic-based rarity "Insider" (from the band's 1981 release "Hard Promises"). Here, Campbell did some simple mandolin lines. It was lovely. Then Nicks retreated to the background to dance, play tambourine or harmonize (a sweet, low-key arrangement on "Learning to Fly").
It was back to the 50s for a jumpin' take on "Too Much Monkey Business" in honor of rock n' roll legend Chuck Berry's recent 80th birthday (Petty also just celebrated his 56th). The singer promised we wouldn't see him onstage at Berry's age.
Come encore time, the epic Van Morrison & Them cover "Mystic Eyes" was transcendent, while "American Girl," probably the Heartbreakers' most recognizable (and licensed to TV/film soundtracks) tune, was joyous.
I'd be remiss not to mention the guys could've shaken things up a bit more. Having caught an equally strong gig at Glen Helen Hyundai Pavilion in August 2005, there was an overriding sense of déjÃ* vu. While only half the set list was duplicated, the opening and closing song, last four in the main set and first encore song were exactly the same.
Most of the baby boomers whooping it up in the audience probably didn't have a problem with it though. For a group with such a wealth of material at its disposal, several AOR radio staples were notably missing, including: "Here Comes My Girl," "Even the Losers," "A Woman in Love," "Change of Heart," "The Waiting," "You Got Lucky." Since Nicks was around, why not pull out the 1986 hit Searchers cover "Needles and Pins?" But these are minor quibbles in what was essentially a terrific show.
Jackson Browne and his five-piece band's serviceable, often soulful 70-minute performance had trouble holding the audience's attention. Why? Too many obscurities from the last three modest-selling studio discs.
In Indian Wells, the quintessential 70s California singer/songwriter mused about his whereabouts and traveling through the desert. Among the standouts were a quiet, contemplative number ("Fountain of Sorrow," from 1974's "Late for the Sky"), a political two-fer (the Spanish flavored "Lives in the Balance," midtempo rocker "For America"), the soaring "Running on Empty" and final encore jam "Doctor My Eyes."
By George A. Paul, Staff Writer
U-Entertainment
Article Launched:10/22/2006 11:36:45 PM PDT
CONCERT REVIEW
TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS, JACKSON BROWNE
Where: Indian Wells Tennis Garden
When: Saturday, Oct 21
Talk about spanning decades.
Over the course of a stellar two-hour show, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers delved into original and cover tunes from the 1950s right up to Petty's new solo disc "Highway Companion" his best since "Wildflowers."
The band, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary (the self-titled debut album arrived on Nov. 9, 1976) and contains veteran session men in lead guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench, was in fine form on Saturday night.
Tom Petty sure is one amiable rocker. Clad in a regal black jacket and vest, he smiled continuously, made friendly gestures to the crowd, said "I told you we were gonna have some fun" and glided across the stage with glee at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Three-quarters of the stadium (tennis tournament capacity: approximately 16,000) was filled. The venue started booking occasional rock concerts last year with The Eagles. The sound quality on the floor section (and upper deck, according to fan Ida Miller of Fullerton) was surprisingly good.
Campbell (still sporting those ridiculous-looking dreadlocks) launched the two-hour, 21-song set with Byrdsian jangle sounds on the buoyant "Listen to Her Heart." A full-bodied "Mary Jane's Last Dance" was enlivened by Scott Thurston's spirited harmonica playing and Campbell's short blasts. The guitarist provided some sturdy slide guitar work during "I Won't Back Down" and continued to impress with his dexterous skills all evening.
"Free Fallin'" had the crowd singing and swaying along as Campbell's chugging guitar complimented Tench and Thurston's supple background vocals. The Heartbreakers tore through the bluesy new John Lee Hooker-styled "Saving Grace" with vigor as Tench played single fingered barrelhouse piano. Petty said "this first came to us via the Yardbirds," prior to approaching the Bo Diddley stomper ("I'm a Man") in a similar vein.
Organ embellishments from Tench gave (the original) Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" a psychedelic vibe. Petty shook the maracas wildly alongside Campbell's smoking fretwork.
Petty introduced special guest and "honorary Heartbreaker" Stevie Nicks for the haunting "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." The Mac vocalist was dressed in a sequined black chiffon dress and sang into her trademark microphone stand adorned with colorful ribbons.
Nicks goes way back with the band, which originally performed on the haunting 1981 track her biggest solo hit to date. Before this tour, Petty and Nicks had only done it live together sporadically. The chemistry onstage between these best friends (not to mention Campbell, who she reportedly dated) gave the song a magical quality.
She added prominent backing vocals to the rollicking "I Need to Know" and reprised her duet on the stately, acoustic-based rarity "Insider" (from the band's 1981 release "Hard Promises"). Here, Campbell did some simple mandolin lines. It was lovely. Then Nicks retreated to the background to dance, play tambourine or harmonize (a sweet, low-key arrangement on "Learning to Fly").
It was back to the 50s for a jumpin' take on "Too Much Monkey Business" in honor of rock n' roll legend Chuck Berry's recent 80th birthday (Petty also just celebrated his 56th). The singer promised we wouldn't see him onstage at Berry's age.
Come encore time, the epic Van Morrison & Them cover "Mystic Eyes" was transcendent, while "American Girl," probably the Heartbreakers' most recognizable (and licensed to TV/film soundtracks) tune, was joyous.
I'd be remiss not to mention the guys could've shaken things up a bit more. Having caught an equally strong gig at Glen Helen Hyundai Pavilion in August 2005, there was an overriding sense of déjÃ* vu. While only half the set list was duplicated, the opening and closing song, last four in the main set and first encore song were exactly the same.
Most of the baby boomers whooping it up in the audience probably didn't have a problem with it though. For a group with such a wealth of material at its disposal, several AOR radio staples were notably missing, including: "Here Comes My Girl," "Even the Losers," "A Woman in Love," "Change of Heart," "The Waiting," "You Got Lucky." Since Nicks was around, why not pull out the 1986 hit Searchers cover "Needles and Pins?" But these are minor quibbles in what was essentially a terrific show.
Jackson Browne and his five-piece band's serviceable, often soulful 70-minute performance had trouble holding the audience's attention. Why? Too many obscurities from the last three modest-selling studio discs.
In Indian Wells, the quintessential 70s California singer/songwriter mused about his whereabouts and traveling through the desert. Among the standouts were a quiet, contemplative number ("Fountain of Sorrow," from 1974's "Late for the Sky"), a political two-fer (the Spanish flavored "Lives in the Balance," midtempo rocker "For America"), the soaring "Running on Empty" and final encore jam "Doctor My Eyes."