A perfect day for Petty
I was lucky enough to enjoy an impromptu trip to the Gorge last Friday to see Tom Petty.
Steve “Stevie” Winwood opened the show. Man, can that guy wail on the guitar. One more Louisiana Gator Boy to check off my list.
As for Petty, he gets an A+ in showmanship. He really indulges in the power he has over an audience — spreading his arms to prompt applause, shouting thank you’s after every song,
waiting a torturous 5 minutes before returning for an encore … He knows that he’s kind of a big deal. It seemed like a lot of songs I’d hoped for were left off the set list (though I never really expected him to do “Zombie Zoo” anyway). His amazing performance of “Breakdown” made up for everything that was missing, and it was really great to hear him do The Traveling Wilburys’ “End of the Line,” for which I couldn’t help but dance around.
This may be my last outdoor concert this year, and I’m glad it was one that was so full of energy, and it was a perfect day for it. I’d say that even by the end of the concert (past midnight, I’m pretty sure) it was still a good 76 degrees out there. A great end to a great season of summer concerts.
Now it’s time to start thinking about autumn.
1 Comment
Thank you for the “End of the Line” video link! I didn’t have a clue they made a video for that. I had a smile on my face throughout the entire concert I think, except for maybe when the guy slobbered on my hand, but one of my favorite moments was Steve playing with the Heartbreakers. Was he playing guitar in that first song? I’m confused about that, but I do know that it was two and a half hours of amazing music and I’m VERY grateful to have had the chance go.
PS The Breakdown video you’ve linked to is super fun to watch.