Inside Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' Last Big Tour

[red dog 1]

By Stephen Rodrick
Rolling Stone Magazine


It's about an hour before Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers play Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheater for what may be the last time.
Backstage, Petty is in his dressing room putting on a frontier rebel's headdress to fight the chill.
Keyboardist Benmont Tench is tweeting about the sad state of our country under Donald Trump.
Bassist Ron Blair has battled stage fright for years since rejoining the Heartbreakers in 2002, after a 20-year sanity break.
He wanders into Petty and cops to something you're not going to admit to your bandleader unless you've known him for 40 years.
"I'm kinda nervous, you know," says Blair in a quiet voice.

Petty rarely describes himself as the leader of his band, but as "the older brother they sometimes have to listen to."
Tonight, he gives Blair some fatherly assurance and a toothy Southern smile:
"Let me be nervous for you."

The band takes the stage and blows through "Rockin' Around," the first song on it's self-titled first album, from 1976.
Petty ends the next two songs strumming in front of the drum set, trading man-crush smiles with drummer Steve Ferrone (Tench jokes, "They should get a room&quot ,
Petty even grins through a joyous version of "Walls," from 1996's "She's the One," an album he's complained about for nearly 20 years.

And then there's a flash of lightning...Rain pours down...The Heartbreakers are shooed into the catacombs of Red Rocks, and 9,000 fans head for cover.

There's been a valedictory feel to the Heartbreakers' 40th Anniversary Tour, which Petty says is the band's final country-spanning run - the "last big one."
Everyone else is a bit skeptical.
"I've been hearing that for 15 years," says guitarist and original Heartbreaker Mike Campbell.
"We'll see."

More:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/inside-tom-petty-and-the-heartbreakers-last-big-tour-w490231


Tour info:
http://www.tompetty.com/tour

[underpants]

1. Cool

Thanks

[red dog 1]

2. You're welcome.

Thanks for the Rec.

[PufPuf23]

3. Thank you for the article.

I saw Tom Petty 3X.

The first time was a free noon concert at Lower Sproul Plaza at Cal when I was an undergrad in 1977.

I had never heard of Tom Petty.

The 2nd time was the next night at Keystone Berkeley.

The last time was in 1986 or 1987 at Shoreline Amphitheatre touring and playing with Bob Dylan, the only time I was ever at Shoreline.

[red dog 1]

4. You're welcome

That show with Bob Dylan at Shoreline in Mt. View must have been truly awesome!

Speaking of Cal, Tom Petty will be playing 3 concerts at Cal's Greek Theater next month:
- Aug. 22
- Aug. 23
- Aug. 27

[hibbing]

5. Saw him, must be ten years now

It was a great show and they all looked like they were having fun. Have you read about his heroin addiction, weird stuff, didn't do it until he was pretty old from my understanding.

Peace

[red dog 1]

6. I hadn't heard about that

[Yavin4]

7. I thought you had to live like a refugee to see his show. n/t

[Rhiannon12866]

8. He actually played at my small college, years ago when I was there

What sticks most in my mind was that when he walked down the aisle to leave, he passed directly by my seat.