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Tom Petty - R.I.P. to one of the greats of Rock Music (1 Viewer)

His last performance: American Girl at the Hollywood bowl last Monday: https://youtu.be/4WNHB8vROg4?t=155

Rock icon Tom Petty’s sudden death on Monday has fans stunned, particularly those fans who saw him and his band, the Heartbreakers, end a 40th anniversary tour just a week before he died.

Rolling Stone reported that Petty’s final concert on Sept. 25 was the culmination of a 53-date tour that kicked off in April. His final song was one of his most popular, and the one that the magazine itself dubbed his greatest: “American Girl.”

Petty and his band ended each show on their final tour with the song, which the rocker first recorded in studio on July 4, 1976.

“The American Girl is just one example of this character that I write about a lot,” Rolling Stone quotes Petty saying about the song. “The small-town kid who knows there something more out there, but gets (expletive) up trying to find it. I always felt sympathetic with her.”

Shortly before the final tour began, Petty told the magazine, “If I was a fan, and they didn’t play, ‘American Girl’ or ‘Free Fallin,’ I’d be disappointed.”

Petty told Rolling Stone in December that he believed the upcoming tour would be the last big one for him and the band.

“I’m thinking it may be the last trip around the country,” Petty told the magazine. “It’s very likely we’ll keep playing, but will we take on 50 shows in one tour? I don’t think so. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was thinking this might be the last big one.”

Petty talked about how he and his bandmates were aging, all moving into the “backside of (their) sixties.”

“I have a granddaughter now I’d like to see as much as I can. I don’t want to spend my life on the road,” he said. “This tour will take me away for four months. With a little kid, that’s a lot of time.”

:(

 
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Somebody here hooked me up years ago with a DVD with several live Tom Petty shows on it. Never listened to it too much because it wouldn't play in my car. I have to find that thing and rip it to a CD so I can. 

Not a huge TP fan, but I really love this song  The Last DJ. I like songs with a story and I think this one says something about music and the times. Indirectly singing about how he stuck to his guns while many changed to stay current or make more $$. Or maybe just to make a living. At any rate, great, great tune.

 
simsarge said:
Somebody here hooked me up years ago with a DVD with several live Tom Petty shows on it. Never listened to it too much because it wouldn't play in my car. I have to find that thing and rip it to a CD so I can. 

Not a huge TP fan, but I really love this song  The Last DJ. I like songs with a story and I think this one says something about music and the times. Indirectly singing about how he stuck to his guns while many changed to stay current or make more $$. Or maybe just to make a living. At any rate, great, great tune.
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That sounds like me. 

 
Tom Petty is strange to me.  I never considered myself a Petty fan, and his run of videos in the 80s/90s probably burned me out on the idea of Petty.  

Pearl Jam opened for Petty several years back and I saw them twice that tour, here in St Paul, and I traveled to Milwaukee as well.  I was bitter I "had to sit through" a Petty concert to see Pearl Jam.  Back in those days, I liked to joke that my favorite Petty song "was the one with the pot reference" since it seemed they all have at least one.

But, as I look back, there sure are a bunch of songs of his that I consider timeless favorites, that I have on my all time favorite songs list on Spotify and never get tired of; The Waiting, Running Down a Dream, Scare Easy of his Mudcrutch album, and several tracks from the Traveling Wilburys among others.  I realized I was actually a fan, and have been working my way through his back catalogue. 

 
I'm going to spend some time going back through his catalog as well.  I always left his shows wanting more.  He had so many songs with the Heartbreakers, Traveling Wilburys, Mudcrutch that he couldn't even play all of his hits let alone other stuff.  Wasn't even playing Breakdown in shows anymore.  I loved when he kicked it up and rocked some.  Like on Jammin' Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCFAzPl1QmE

 
 
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Wingnut said:
His last performance: American Girl at the Hollywood bowl last Monday: https://youtu.be/4WNHB8vROg4?t=155

Rock icon Tom Petty’s sudden death on Monday has fans stunned, particularly those fans who saw him and his band, the Heartbreakers, end a 40th anniversary tour just a week before he died.

Rolling Stone reported that Petty’s final concert on Sept. 25 was the culmination of a 53-date tour that kicked off in April. His final song was one of his most popular, and the one that the magazine itself dubbed his greatest: “American Girl.”

Petty and his band ended each show on their final tour with the song, which the rocker first recorded in studio on July 4, 1976.

“The American Girl is just one example of this character that I write about a lot,” Rolling Stone quotes Petty saying about the song. “The small-town kid who knows there something more out there, but gets (expletive) up trying to find it. I always felt sympathetic with her.”

Shortly before the final tour began, Petty told the magazine, “If I was a fan, and they didn’t play, ‘American Girl’ or ‘Free Fallin,’ I’d be disappointed.”

Petty told Rolling Stone in December that he believed the upcoming tour would be the last big one for him and the band.

“I’m thinking it may be the last trip around the country,” Petty told the magazine. “It’s very likely we’ll keep playing, but will we take on 50 shows in one tour? I don’t think so. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was thinking this might be the last big one.”

Petty talked about how he and his bandmates were aging, all moving into the “backside of (their) sixties.”

“I have a granddaughter now I’d like to see as much as I can. I don’t want to spend my life on the road,” he said. “This tour will take me away for four months. With a little kid, that’s a lot of time.”

:(
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My brother and his wife went to see Petty back in June and said that while he enjoyed the concert he though Tom kinda mailed it in.   I'm wondering if maybe he just wasn't feeling well...

 
Godsbrother said:
My brother and his wife went to see Petty back in June and said that while he enjoyed the concert he though Tom kinda mailed it in.   I'm wondering if maybe he just wasn't feeling well...
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I saw him in May in West Palm, and while he wasnt as spry as he used to be, and some of the songs were slowed down a touch, it was a great show.

 
Godsbrother said:
My brother and his wife went to see Petty back in June and said that while he enjoyed the concert he though Tom kinda mailed it in.   I'm wondering if maybe he just wasn't feeling well...
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Gotta be a tough way to make a living as a 66 year old whether it's for love of performing or not. A crap ton of us surely envied the rock n roll lifestyle back in the day, but it's gotta be hard on the body.

 
simsarge said:
Gotta be a tough way to make a living as a 66 year old whether it's for love of performing or not. A crap ton of us surely envied the rock n roll lifestyle back in the day, but it's gotta be hard on the body.
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No doubt.  It surprises me like guys like Petty, McCartney, etc. go on these long grueling tours.  If it were me I would do like 6-7 shows a month although maybe that just isn't practical.

 
Wingnut said:
A bunch of bands and artists have played or posted Petty covers as tributes in the past 24 hours. Theres gonna be a bunch more of these in the coming days.

Gov't Mule - Breakdown
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You know, I'm not that huge a fan of these guys in terms of their original music, but they are about as good a cover band as I've heard recently. Their version of the Allman Brothers' "Soulshine" is better than the original.

 
wife And I saw him play at Summerfest this year(gave my mom and sisters my Wrigley seats)

well we we were hanging out inside the stadium on a walkway that overlooked the tour busses.   It was a great spot to speculate on what, or who, was going on in the tour busses(and it was close to a full service bar)

not or a minute after my wife left to use the bathroom, here comes Tom in golf cart heading into the bowles of the stadium   As he slowly disappeared beneath us he looked up, and with a giant smile, and wave said ”Hi Y’all” to my friends and I    It was friggen awesome  

needless to say, my wife was pissed 

 
This is funny.

Petty told Men's Journal, "I've had a pipeline of marijuana since 1967." While he scoffed at the idea of needing a prescription, he did talk freely about some of his experiences with what he called "a musical drug." As a longtime history buff, he had a tradition every time he was in Washington, DC: head to the Jefferson Memorial late at night, get stoned, and simply sit.

Petty also kept the first really nice car he was ever able to buy, a 1979 Mercedes 450SL. Even then it simply sat, as Petty shared he was "too spaced out" to drive any more. His final time behind the wheel of a car he'd fully believed a pack of UFOs was descending on Malibu, only to spin off the road and into a pack of paparazzi. The silver balls were really there, but they were balloons Adam Sandler had launched to keep aerial nuisances away from his wedding. That same night, Petty backed into another car and decided he was done driving.

:lmao:

 
Friend and I went to see Tom Petty at the Winterland Ballroom in SF. Probably 1978. We were both 19 maybe 20.
It was open floor so we got up close, within 10 feet of the stage. Standing next to us was a photographer for the band, somewhat drunk. He told us of a party after the show at the Mikayo Hotel. We shrugged and watched the show.

Halfway through Petty's show (he was awesome, BTW) he threw his pick into the crowd and hit my friend in the chest. We were both ####### ecstatic. I haven't talked to this guy in 40 years, wonder if he still has the pick.

So we decided, what the hell, we would try to get into the party. We got there early enough where there was no security at the door. We wandered around, ate the food, had a few beers and talked to Bill Graham and David Johansenn (he was the opening act. It was while he was still punk way before Hot, Hot Hot). 

Then Petty and the Heartbreakers came in. We saw our chance, went up to him. Told him we loved the concert and that his pick hit my friend. His reply "Oh man so sorry". We said "No NO No, we loved it!". He smiled wandered off. At this time we saw somebody pointing us out to security. We figured it was time to leave.

RIP MR. Petty. Your music touched me, inspired me and I will never forget our brief encounter 

 
badmojo1006 said:
Friend and I went to see Tom Petty at the Winterland Ballroom in SF. Probably 1978. We were both 19 maybe 20.
It was open floor so we got up close, within 10 feet of the stage. Standing next to us was a photographer for the band, somewhat drunk. He told us of a party after the show at the Mikayo Hotel. We shrugged and watched the show.

Halfway through Petty's show (he was awesome, BTW) he threw his pick into the crowd and hit my friend in the chest. We were both ####### ecstatic. I haven't talked to this guy in 40 years, wonder if he still has the pick.

So we decided, what the hell, we would try to get into the party. We got there early enough where there was no security at the door. We wandered around, ate the food, had a few beers and talked to Bill Graham and David Johansenn (he was the opening act. It was while he was still punk way before Hot, Hot Hot). 

Then Petty and the Heartbreakers came in. We saw our chance, went up to him. Told him we loved the concert and that his pick hit my friend. His reply "Oh man so sorry". We said "No NO No, we loved it!". He smiled wandered off. At this time we saw somebody pointing us out to security. We figured it was time to leave.

RIP MR. Petty. Your music touched me, inspired me and I will never forget our brief encounter 
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Really cool story... thanks for sharing it!  :thumbup:

 
Wingnut said:
This is funny.

Petty told Men's Journal, "I've had a pipeline of marijuana since 1967." While he scoffed at the idea of needing a prescription, he did talk freely about some of his experiences with what he called "a musical drug." As a longtime history buff, he had a tradition every time he was in Washington, DC: head to the Jefferson Memorial late at night, get stoned, and simply sit.

Petty also kept the first really nice car he was ever able to buy, a 1979 Mercedes 450SL. Even then it simply sat, as Petty shared he was "too spaced out" to drive any more. His final time behind the wheel of a car he'd fully believed a pack of UFOs was descending on Malibu, only to spin off the road and into a pack of paparazzi. The silver balls were really there, but they were balloons Adam Sandler had launched to keep aerial nuisances away from his wedding. That same night, Petty backed into another car and decided he was done driving.

:lmao:
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:lmao:

 
timschochet said:
You know, I'm not that huge a fan of these guys in terms of their original music, but they are about as good a cover band as I've heard recently. Their version of the Allman Brothers' "Soulshine" is better than the original.
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Warren Haynes was in the Allman Brothers for a long time - and Soulshine was his song with them as well.

 
Getzlaf15 said:
I'm going in two weeks to see that show and Ringo's show.
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I wonder if Ringo does the same kind of longstanding  show in one place like EJ. If I'm Paul Mccartney and out touring 8 months of the year and see Celine Dion, EJ and Ringo homesteading in Vegas, I'm thinking I need a new manager :shrug:

 
simsarge said:
I wonder if Ringo does the same kind of longstanding  show in one place like EJ. If I'm Paul Mccartney and out touring 8 months of the year and see Celine Dion, EJ and Ringo homesteading in Vegas, I'm thinking I need a new manager :shrug:
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8 dates at Planet Hollywood 10/13-10/28.  He didn't do that last year

 
Bull Dozier said:
Tom Petty is strange to me.  I never considered myself a Petty fan, and his run of videos in the 80s/90s probably burned me out on the idea of Petty.  

Pearl Jam opened for Petty several years back and I saw them twice that tour, here in St Paul, and I traveled to Milwaukee as well.  I was bitter I "had to sit through" a Petty concert to see Pearl Jam.  Back in those days, I liked to joke that my favorite Petty song "was the one with the pot reference" since it seemed they all have at least one.

But, as I look back, there sure are a bunch of songs of his that I consider timeless favorites, that I have on my all time favorite songs list on Spotify and never get tired of; The Waiting, Running Down a Dream, Scare Easy of his Mudcrutch album, and several tracks from the Traveling Wilburys among others.  I realized I was actually a fan, and have been working my way through his back catalogue. 
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You went to a Pearl Jam concert?  On purpose?

:confused:

 
This song reminds me of being in high school, and some friends and I sitting around the kitchen table playing quarters while my parents were at of town. I can still picture us all singing "Whoa oh, Whoa oh oh oh, I'm having trouble letting you goooo."

 
Ghost Rider said:
Man, if that ain't the truth. When I was a kid, I used to have a blank cassette in the radio ready, so I could hit record on the off chance one of my favorite songs would play. 
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I think I've posted about this here before... when I was a kid, a rock station in town dumped its regular programming on Sunday nights and played entire albums, a mix of old and new stuff.  Listeners would MAIL in their album suggestions VIA POSTCARD to the station, and late in the week the station would start promoting on-air what the "Seventh Day" albums would be on Sunday night.  The station was well-aware listeners had cassettes loaded up for these playings, sometimes the host would say "Start your machines, now" right before starting Side 1, Track 1.  And after the album finished, the host would run through the song titles in order, pausing between each one in case listeners were trying to write them down on their tape jackets as he was talking.  

I was trying to explain all this to my daughter recently.  It was like I was telling her how to carve letters into stone using a hammer and chisel.

 
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone in this thread who shared stories and memories about Petty, his music, and your life around it.  

Like many in this thread, I've discovered I was a bigger fan than I thought I was.  After reading the posts here and checking out a few of the links provided, I think I would have enjoyed one of his live shows a lot and am glad so many of you fans got to see him, some multiple times.  

Keep posting memories as you think of them, and thanks again for all the playlist additions.  :thumbup:  

 
Bruce Dickinson said:
I think I've posted about this here before... when I was a kid, a rock station in town dumped its regular programming on Sunday nights and played entire albums, a mix of old and new stuff.  Listeners would MAIL in their album suggestions VIA POSTCARD to the station, and late in the week the station would start promoting on-air what the "Seventh Day" albums would be on Sunday night.  The station was well-aware listeners had cassettes loaded up for these playings, sometimes the host would say "Start your machines, now" right before starting Side 1, Track 1.  And after the album finished, the host would run through the song titles in order, pausing between each one in case listeners were trying to write them down on their tape jackets as he was talking.  

I was trying to explain all this to my daughter recently.  It was like I was telling her how to carve letters into stone using a hammer and chisel.
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Sounds like KSHE-95 here in St. Louis. 

 
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Bruce Dickinson said:
Like many in this thread, I've discovered I was a bigger fan than I thought I was.
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I won't claim to be a super fan and I'm not a huge music guy in general but any time I think about a top 10 list I always tell folks he's somewhere in the 8-10 range.  Usually I get looks like I've got two heads or a GTFO comment but I've always loved his music.  Someone else commented before that he's kind of a throw back but for me more than anything he was unique - he had his own style and stayed true to it all these years.  

RIP Tom.

 
AAABatteries said:
Bruce Dickinson said:
Like many in this thread, I've discovered I was a bigger fan than I thought I was.
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I won't claim to be a super fan and I'm not a huge music guy in general but any time I think about a top 10 list I always tell folks he's somewhere in the 8-10 range.  Usually I get looks like I've got two heads or a GTFO comment but I've always loved his music.  Someone else commented before that he's kind of a throw back but for me more than anything he was unique - he had his own style and stayed true to it all these years.  

RIP Tom.
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Yeah, I've never seen him in concert or bought an album. Didn't really consider myself a fan. But always been aware of him and enjoyed his music. Yesterday afternoon I was working at my desk all day so I put on the station iHeartRadio put together for him. There wasn't a bad song all day.

 
Ghost Rider said:
Sounds like KSHE-95 here in St. Louis. 
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That is precisely the station I was describing. :thumbup:  I grew up in West County.

When I first started getting into 60s and 70s rock, I had a lot of access to a bunch of albums thanks to my dad’s Seventh Day taping habit.  He recorded dozens of albums each year from that show, kept them all in shoeboxes.  This library was an amazingly cost-effective way to expand my music horizons.

 
Bruce Dickinson said:
That is precisely the station I was describing. :thumbup:  I grew up in West County.

When I first started getting into 60s and 70s rock, I had a lot of access to a bunch of albums thanks to my dad’s Seventh Day taping habit.  He recorded dozens of albums each year from that show, kept them all in shoeboxes.  This library was an amazingly cost-effective way to expand my music horizons.
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Nice, that makes sense.  The "Seventh Day" title was somewhat of a giveaway.   :thumbup:   :thumbup:

 
Bruce Dickinson said:
I think I've posted about this here before... when I was a kid, a rock station in town dumped its regular programming on Sunday nights and played entire albums, a mix of old and new stuff.  Listeners would MAIL in their album suggestions VIA POSTCARD to the station, and late in the week the station would start promoting on-air what the "Seventh Day" albums would be on Sunday night.  The station was well-aware listeners had cassettes loaded up for these playings, sometimes the host would say "Start your machines, now" right before starting Side 1, Track 1.  And after the album finished, the host would run through the song titles in order, pausing between each one in case listeners were trying to write them down on their tape jackets as he was talking.  

I was trying to explain all this to my daughter recently.  It was like I was telling her how to carve letters into stone using a hammer and chisel.
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I did the exact same thing. I taped The Who's "Who Are You" album, and listened to it for months on that cassette. The Seventh Day was on 95.5 KLOS in Los Angeles.

 
Saw Jack Johnson in Tampa last night, and he did 2 Petty covers. Early in the show, the 4th song I think, he did I Wont Back Down. The "Heyyyyyyy, baby!" was loud as Ive ever heard a crowd in that amphitheater. Later in the show the harmonica  at the beginning of You Dont Know How It Feels brought everyone to their feet and the sing along was great. After the song the crowd stood and cheered for about a minute, it was a nice tribute to Tom. I saw more than a few teary eyes after that one.

 
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Christo said:
Yeah, I've never seen him in concert or bought an album. Didn't really consider myself a fan. But always been aware of him and enjoyed his music. Yesterday afternoon I was working at my desk all day so I put on the station iHeartRadio put together for him. There wasn't a bad song all day.
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Same here. 

Watched his 1999 interview with Charlie Rose last night and came away surprised that I just never paid that much attention to him.  He had some pretty interesting quotes and thoughts about rock and roll, how they made music and what they did in the studio.

 
Judge Smails said:
I'm going to spend some time going back through his catalog as well.  I always left his shows wanting more.  He had so many songs with the Heartbreakers, Traveling Wilburys, Mudcrutch that he couldn't even play all of his hits let alone other stuff.  Wasn't even playing Breakdown in shows anymore.  I loved when he kicked it up and rocked some.  Like on Jammin' Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCFAzPl1QmE
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This live clip of Jammin' Me from a 1999 concert a few of friends attended got passed around this morning.  It's one of those songs I remember listening to a lot of the radio and seeing on MTV when it was first released and a hit, then kinda forgot about it.  I dig this version a lot - doesn't stray from the original much, but speeding up the tempo just a bit highlights the rock elements more, and shows how good the whole band is.  

 
Wingnut said:
Saw Jack Johnson in Tampa last night, and he did 2 Petty covers. Early in the show, the 4th song I think, he did I Wont Back Down. The "Heyyyyyyy, baby!" was loud as Ive ever heard a crowd in that amphitheater. Later in the show the harmonica  at the beginning of You Dont Know How It Feels brought everyone to their feet and the sing along was great. After the song the crowd stood and cheered for about a minute, it was a nice tribute to Tom. I saw more than a few teary eyes after that one.
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That's pretty cool.   When you talk about artists who have a lot of songs that seemingly everyone knows (even if they don't know the name of the song), Petty has to be near the top of that list (along with the Beatles, Billy Joel and Rolling Stones).  

 
Wingnut said:
Tom Petty rocks the Super Bowl halftime back in 2008 with a fantastic performance of American Girl, I Wont Back Down, Free Fallin, and Runnin Down A Dream.

 https://youtu.be/haCk5XFj1lw

:thumbup:
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I was at that Super Bowl. I paid $3k for my ticket. I didn't care about either team, but I live in Phoenix and thought it would be my only chance at a super bowl. Who would have thought the Cardinals would go to the super bowl the next year and I'd be in Tampa for that one too...

 
Sucks. Saw him for the first time on the Damn The Torpedoes tour first row tickets and have been a huge fan since. 

"The Waiting" on SNL

Curious if he'd be viable if he started today in the golden era of Instagram/Twitter/Reality show nonsense.  

 
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