Отправлено: 27.03.12 17:33. Заголовок: Турне 2012 года
Для удобства отслеживания информации и конкретных обсуждений завожу отдельную тему.
Первая новость :
from tompetty.com Amsterdam, NL Show Added on June 24
We are excited to announce that Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers will return to Holland for the first time since 1987 with a show at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam on June 24. The Amsterdam show replaces the Zurich concert which, as announced last week, was cancelled due to logistical and production issues.
Отправлено: 04.05.12 10:31. Заголовок: Concert review: Tom ..
Concert review: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Amway Center
As any Tom Petty fan knows, the waiting is the hardest part, but this is ridiculous.
Petty and the Heartbreakers haven’t played an arena show in Orlando since 1995, although the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers have made numerous road-trip worthy stops on the I-4 corridor in Tampa and Daytona Beach since the Clinton years.
So it was worth wondering if the band would pull out any surprises on Thursday at Amway Center. You know, to make the night memorable enough to last another decade or so?
“We’re pretty excited to be back in Florida,” Petty told the sold-out crowd in the opening moments of a 2-hour show. “We’ve got all our friends and relatives and ex-wives backstage.”
There were plenty of wrinkles mixed into the reliable assortment of hits, often delivered with a precision perhaps only rivaled by the Eagles, another band that has remained a big concert draw.
Petty opened with a faithful rendition of “Listen to Her Heart,” still a fine example of the band’s debt to the guitar sound of the Byrds. It was immediately followed by a one-two punch of signature hits – “You Wreck Me,” “I Won’t Back Down” – that lesser bands would be obligated to save for the encore.
The Heartbreakers mixed the obligatory stuff with surprises such as “Here Comes My Girl,” in which the band chugged along powerfully beneath the spoken-word narration that opened into the big chorus. Such dynamic shifts were elevated by a mix that was hospitable by the arena’s hit-or-miss standards.
Petty dedicated another lesser known song, “The Best of Everything,” to the late Levon Helm, a fitting gesture since Robbie Robertson and Richard Manuel, Helm’s colleagues in The Band, contributed to the original studio track. He did some old-fashioned Southern storytelling on a folksy “Spike.”
“Something Big” was among numerous showcases for guitarist Mike Campbell’s inventive solos, which also lifted “You Wreck Me,” “Saving Grace” and others with combinations of flash and restraint. Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench turned J.J. Cale’s “Travelin’ Light” into an atmospheric jam.
It all unfolded on a stage that was relatively understated compared with the eye-catching light displays of recent tours. There was only a backdrop of an elegant curtain, shaded by a mix of spotlights. Above the band, there were four video screens that could’ve been larger to work for the cheap seats.
Singer-songwriter Regina Spektor opened the show with 50 minutes of piano ballads that were an oddly somber counter-point to Petty’s rock ‘n’ roll. A lot of the subtleties were lost in the cavernous arena, so the contrast didn’t exactly work.
Fortunately, Petty and the band reclaimed the rock mojo, especially on a closing sprint that included “Refugee,” “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and “American Girl.”
Отправлено: 10.05.12 12:09. Заголовок: An Encore Performanc..
An Encore Performance: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers put on dynamic local show
Southwest Florida Tom Petty fans were wowed when the legendary story-teller paired back up with the very talented Heartbreakers (Steve Ferrone, Mike Campbell, Scott Thurston, Ron Blair and Benmont Tench) for a dynamic show Tuesday night at Germain Arena.
Opening the show was sweet little Regina Spector from New York, performing on her grand piano, accompanied by her band, consisting of a cellist, keyboardist and drummer.
Regina's voice is very sweet, she can really hit the high notes, and her skills on the piano are fantastic. Her music is very lively, soft and upbeat, and the rising star regularly thanked the audience and showed her appreciation for the grand applause after every song.
Following Regina's opening set, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers took the stage, with the crowd roaring to its feet in great delight and anticipation.
Tom opened the show by stating, "I've got nowhere else to be, so I'm gonna be here for a while," followed by the audience again roaring with excitement.
He did just that, performing for longer than two hours, showing much appreciation to his music-loving audience while entertaining with all of his biggest hits, along with some deep tracks and even a request from the audience!
Just some of the several songs the band performed include, "Refugee," "Won't Back Down," "Lover's Touch," "Something Big," "The Last DJ," "The Waiting," "Southern Accents," "The Best of Everything," "It's Good to be King," "Free Falling," "Into the Great Wide Open," "Good Enough" and "Runnin' Down a Dream."
Between each song, the crowd would chant, "Petty! Petty! Petty!" and you can tell Tom and his group really took all of the love to heart.
Before performing "The Best of Everything," Tom was sure to send a dedication to Levon Helm, former drummer of the band, who passed away after a long battle with cancer. "This is dedicated with all our love to the great Levon Helm," the lead singer stated.
Through the entire length of "Free Falling," the audience sung every single word, throwing up lighters, flashing peace signs, and all singing as one. It was enough to give anyone goosebumps from the intense positive energy flowing through the stadium.
His story-telling gene really shined during his intro to "Spike," speaking of Gainsville's Big Cypress Lounge back in the '90s , and how he was a little intimidated at the time to even go in there, as it's a place where big, mean, spiked-dog-collar-wearing bikers and "guitar thieves" hang out. Turns out the proverbial tables were turned, as he mentioned in his song!
After a huge performance and rants and raves from his audience, Tom and his band graciously left the stage, shortly followed by the road crew coming in and taking down the set. But, Petty fans weren't having it. They continued chanting, "Petty! Petty! Petty!" while waving lit lighters and lit cellphone displays.
After several minutes of chanting, cheering and thinking about what songs could possibly be left for the band to perform, Tom and his Heartbreakers returned to the stage after what turned out to be a quick cigarette break!
They proceeded to perform a two-song encore, featuring "Last Dance for Mary Jane" and "American Girl."
Guitarist Mike Campbell continued flipping guitar picks into the audience and sending love to those that weren't as close to the stage as the lucky floor-laden audience members.
After the two encore songs, the humbled band then gathered together in the front of the stage and bowed to their very gracious audience.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are finishing up their tour across the country in Texas, picking back up for their international string through Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, France and Italy next month.
For more information on the international superstars, visit TomPetty.com.
Отправлено: 01.06.12 17:25. Заголовок: Free Fallin' at ..
Free Fallin' at the Metro CentreJune 1 , 2012 - 5:40am By STEPHEN COOKE Entertainment Reporter | Concert Review
Let’s just cut to the chase and state the obvious: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers play one of the greatest rock and roll shows you're ever going to see, and on Thursday night Halifax got to see it in all its glory.
Admittedly, it’s a tough call when you consider some of the acts that have rolled through the Metro Centre over the years, from Neil Young and John Fogerty to Pearl Jam and the Pixies. But pound for pound, in terms of the volume of hits, natural charisma and the wonder of a band whose members intermesh so effortlessly after playing together for decades, Petty and his cohorts score as high as anybody.
And yes, I won’t be the first reviewer of this act to note that the waiting is in fact the hardest part, but it’s especially true when this is the band’s first venture to these parts in its 36-year history. They made up for lost time though with over two-and-a-half hours of songs that have become ingrained in our psyches and part of the broader fabric of pop culture.
If you’ve ever had I Won’t Back Down stuck on an endless loop in the back of your mind for days on end, you’ll know what I mean. Amazingly, that song, the second biggest single of Petty’s career, got tossed into the set three songs in, after the early track Listen to Her Heart and the fine mid-’90s Wildflowers single You Wreck Me. At that point I stopped trying to second guess where this show was going to take us and just sat back to enjoy the ride.
And what a ride it was. The Heartbreakers came on with no formalities, and played without any bells and whistles apart from a quartet of video screens above the stage and the usual racks of moving lights. No risers, no pyro, no catwalk. Heck, these guys still plug into their amps using actual guitar cords rather than wireless units, talk about old school. No, these five musicians were here to play some great rock and roll tunes to make you dance, sing along, and reminisce. If you want all that other stuff, you could have gone to Hedley, or make travel plans to see Nickelback in Moncton.
“We finally made it to Halifax,” grinned Petty as 11,000 voices hollered back in a deafening greeting. “We’ve got a lot of songs planned for you tonight, hope you don’t have to be home early.”
Nobody was going anywhere, least of all Petty, who spread his arms in triumph after leading the singalong to Won’t Back Down, leaving little doubt he was enjoying himself too. “We’re going to dig deep into the albums, and do some of the deep tracks,” he told the crowd, piquing the interest of longtime fans and those who were seeing him play for the umpteenth time.
It took him a while to get there though, since the next song was one of Damn the Torpedoes’ singles from 1979, Here Comes My Girl with its stately piano part by master keyboardist Benmont Tench, matching notes with guitarist Mike Campbell, followed by the Travelling Wilburys’ Handle With Care, which sent the crowd into an absolute tizzy. I guess that was one most people didn’t expect to hear at a Petty concert; frankly, George Harrison and Roy Orbison could have walked on stage at that point, and it couldn’t have got them any more worked up. Although it was Petty in the spotlight, impressively slim in a pinstripe suit, black velvet vest and red cravat, it was as much of a joy to watch Campbell work his magic. Introduced by his boss as “my partner, my co-captain and our lead guitarist,” the singer’s longtime collaborator coloured every song with just the right tone
He could make the steel slide on his Stratocaster sing like a Southern angel on The Best of Everything (touchingly dedicated to Levon Helm), or toss off an explosive blues rock riff on his sunburst Les Paul while Petty shook his maracas like a mad shaman on the early Fleetwood Mac tune
Oh Well. Campbell doesn’t play with overt flash or virtuosity, but there’s intelligence and heart invested in every lick.
Pretty much every song shows off the band’s ability to work together as a crack unit, but one of the most impressive was the 10-minute spaced out odyssey It’s Good to Be King from Wildflowers, with Campbell slipping in and out of the tune like mercury and Petty playing a solo on his cream-coloured Telecaster using the Neil Young playbook and making he most out of the fewest notes. A couple near me decided to take this opportunity to make out, and really it’s hard to argue with that decision, but the moment was a masterful example of building and releasing tension, before drummer Steve Ferrone let all hell break loose and Campbell was slashing at the string on his Les Paul again.
After a beautifully rearranged Learning to Fly and “a little headbanging” Led Zeppelin-esque blues rock from the latest album Mojo, the band was heading for home with the 1979 breakout hit Refugee and the snarling highway riff of Running Down a Dream, with Petty and Campbell looking totally badass sporting twin vintage Gibson Firebird guitars.
One of the pairs best double guitar parts soon followed in the encore’s Mary Jane’s Last Dance, as the smell of the song’s namesake quickly filled the air, before Petty strapped on his distinctive Rickenbacker 12-string one last time for American Girl. The song has lost none of its feeling of that first rush of love in over 35 years, but then the houselights came up, and the feeling was gone again.
I’m not sure what I can say about gospel institution The Blind Boys of Alabama, who opened in place of an unavailable Jimmy Cliff, that I didn’t say when they played the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium four years ago, but it’s comforting to know they haven’t lost their power to move crowds either.
As a recent convert to the HBO crime series The Wire, I found their rendition of the Tom Waits-penned theme song Way Down in the Hole burning a hole into my soul, and the blend of their deep, resonant voices on a mashup of Amazing Grace and House of the Rising Sun was nothing less than spine-tingling, especially when founding member Jimmy Carter let out a wail that could fill the Dartmouth Sportsplex and the Halifax Forum as well as the Metro Centre.
Now that’s jubilation.
Setlist:
Listen to Her Heart You Wreck Me I Won't Back Down Here Comes My Girl Handle With Care The Best of Everything Oh Well Something Big Free Fallin' Damage You've Done It's Good to Be King Crawling Back to You Learning to Fly Yer So Bad I Shoulda Known It Good Enough Refugee Runnin' Down a Dream
Well I won't back down No, I won't back down You can stand me up at the gates of Hell But I won't back down Thomas 8:2;V.1
Tom Petty is my hero. That may sound strange to a lot of people, but I hope I can at least say that here. The reasons abound. Mainly, on the outside, they're superficial. He's my hero because I love his music so much. Hmmm... hardly a reason for someone to be a hero. But why do I love his music so much? When you look at it deeper, the answer is right there. The music. The meaning. The structure. The beauty. The intelligence. The heart. The soul. The beat. The best. Still... how do you get a hero out of that? I don't know. We have different ways of choosing our heroes. I don't choose mine lightly. My parents our my heroes, too. I remember one time, when I was about 5yrs old, I went horse riding with my brothers and sisters. The horses were trained and knew the trail they were supposed to follow and me being so young and probably my first time on a real horse, they had me to hold on to the saddle horn instead of the reins. My step-mom was afraid of horses, so she didn't ride with us. Everything was fine till the last leg of the trail when the horse barn came into sight. Something got into my horse and he bolted for the barn! Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!! All I could do was hold on to that saddle horn for dear life and probably scream for help! The horse was running straight for the barn. In my little 5yr old mind, that barn was scary because I couldn't see into it. I thought the horse was going to go straight through it and crash through the wall and keep going, probably never to stop. But about 30 or 40ft before that horse could make it to the barn, my step-mom, who was afraid of horses and only about 5'2", stepped in front of it, used her body to block it, then sidestep it, grab the reins and make that horse stop. That becoming the day in my mind that she saved my life. Who knows? Maybe she did save my life that day. She damn sure stepped in front of a running horse and stopped it.
So, what makes Tom Petty a hero? Did he ever step in front of a running horse? I don't know. Maybe. Did he write a bunch of songs that touched people's hearts, helped them to get through the things in life that were getting them down? Yes! Definitely!! He also gives to charity like crazy. That's a hero in my book, too. He is known to stand up for his family, friends, and fans and not let anyone walk all over him. He's a badass!
Then, there are things like this...
When Tom takes the time to show gratitude to some of the people who are truly heroes. The ones who sacrificed more than we can imagine. The men and women who step up to the plate when it's not a game.
From the NEWS section at tompetty.com...
MAY 31, 2012 Halifax, NS CA Opening Acts: Blind Boys of Alabama So many of the memorable moments on Heartbreakers' tours happen onstage, but it was a special visitor the band met just before they went on at the sold-out Haifax Metro Center that won't soon be forgotten.
Adam Keys has been a fan of the band for as long as he can remember. Growing up in Whitehall, PA, he and best friend - Jesse Reed - caught a few Heartbreakers shows together over the years. Thursday night was his fourth show; he'd seen them twice in Camden, NJ and once in Madison Square Garden.
On July 14, 2010, Adam - an Army Specialist in the 618th Engineer Company - was injured when his vehicle was hit by a large IED in southern Afghanistan. He was the sole survivor in the five-person patrol, but sustained severe injuries that required the amputation of an arm and both legs. Unfortunately, Adam's loss didn't end there that day. Reed - his childhood friend who enlisted with Adam in 2009 - was one of the soldiers that died in the incident.
After 15 months recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Adam transferred into outpatient care earlier this year and is already learning to walk on prosthetic legs. In Haifax to attend his grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary, Adam found out the Heartbreakers were in town and bought a ticket. After hearing about his story, Tom and the guys invited Adam and his family to visit backstage before the show. After all the pictures were snapped and the last autograph inked, Adam leaned over to Tom.
"You guys are freaking awesome," he gushed as only a true fan can. "I'll remember tonight for a long, long time and can't thank you enough."
"You're the awesome one, Adam. We're just a bunch of guitar players," Tom said with a grin. "We're so honored to have you here with us tonight."
Normally in these reviews, we comment on special songs or particular moments during the show, and there were plenty in Halifax: a stunning "The Best of Everything," the return of "Oh Well" and a phenomenal "Crawling Back To You," to name just a few.
But the memory of Halifax will be the look on Adam's face sitting side stage when the house lights came up after "American Girl," as the band made their exit to the cheers of 10,000-plus screaming Nova Scotians.
Отправлено: 05.06.12 09:38. Заголовок: Tom Petty’s Hand Inj..
Tom Petty’s Hand Injury Still Painful
Take note, musicians out there. It’s probably best not to punch a recording studio wall when frustration occurs. Thirty years ago, Tom Petty did just that and had to have pins placed in his fingers.
The Daily Express reports that the rock legend still suffers pain from injuring his hand back in the ’80s. Petty told Q magazine, “I didn’t notice it for the longest time, but in the last year it’s started to hurt. I guess that’s just down to getting old.”
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will perform at the Isle of Wight Festival in England on June 22.
Отправлено: 05.06.12 10:18. Заголовок: Tom Petty gets the c..
Tom Petty gets the crowd singing with all of his hits
Tom Petty is a storyteller. After his Newfoundland weekend — two nights at St. John’s Mile One Centre — he probably has a few more tales to tell.
Some struggled to justify the price of admission when the Heartbreakers show was announced, with tickets between $80 and $170, but you can’t argue with success, and these shows, two of only three Canadian dates on Petty’s current tour, packed them in to the rafters. None appeared to be regretting the expense.
Promoter Dave Carver told the crowd Saturday night they were in for a treat with the opening act, and he did not lie. Although not to everyone’s taste, gospel kings the Blind Boys of Alabama brought the salvation, with a tight band and heavenly harmonies.
How does the Marc Cohn song go?
“‘Tell me are you a Christian child?’
And I said ‘Ma’am I am tonight’”
Yeah, it was a bit like that.
An uplifting beginning with a rousing end, and the lights came up for the crew to clear the stage. As they went down, the crowd went to its feet.
Petty opened with “Listen to Your Heart,” he and “co-captain” Mike Campbell leaning on the trademark Rickenbackers to pull out the signature jangle.
Petty squinting; lights too bright? They launched into “You Wreck Me,” and by “I Won’t Back Down,” the voices of the gathered thousands filled the stadium, singing along. Uninvited, but Petty did not seem to mind.
In fact, if anything, he looked to be charmed by the rousing welcome, tickled by the singing, the enthusiasm, the deafening appreciation he was given from fans new and old. The age range was not lost on Petty. “Here’s one we wrote in 1981,” he said, answering the resultant cheer with, “Yeah, that was a good year for me, too.”
To one youngster up front, he added with a laugh, “You weren’t even here then.”
By then they were into it, Petty carving a weaving dance around the stage, waving and laughing. Campbell swapping a guitar per song or two; just the right sound from lightening breaks, bent strings, crying slide. Bringing the crowd up then settling them back.
The band saved the heaviest tunes for the end, pounding out a heavy jam in “Good Enough,” which lead into “Refugee,” ending the set with “Running Down a Dream.”
The Heartbreakers lingered on stage after that, soaking in a reaction the old band may not have heard in some time. And they milked it, running a full five minutes of stomping, hooting ovation before climbing back in the saddle for a two-song capper.
Between them, Petty leaned into the mike and said, “I got a feeling this is not our last trip to St. John’s.”
After this weekend, he’s not the only one thinking that way.
Отправлено: 08.06.12 13:17. Заголовок: Ну вот Том и в Европ..
Ну вот Том и в Европе!
Petty and his crew still pack a punch
IT’S BEEN 20 years since Tom Petty and his Heartbreakers graced Europe with their presence, so it’s no surprise the 61-year-old troubadour gets a more-than-warm welcome from the Irish fans.
Not that he’s been idle these past two decades; he’s had some of his biggest hits in the 1990s, both solo and with The Heartbreakers, and he continues to play to sold-out arena crowds in the US.
The Gainesville, Florida rocker may not have quite the same spiritual, emotional and political heft of his New Jersey contemporary, Bruce Springsteen, but his place in the pantheon of great American rock is assured through such hits as Learning To Fly, Into The Great Wide Open and Free Fallin’.
And just to seal his street cred, Peter Bogdanovich’s four-hour documentary, Running Down a Dream, paints an indelible portrait of a great American rock star.
Recently, Petty flexed his political muscle, after Republican candidate Michelle Bachman dared to use his song American Girl in her campaign.
In 2000, Petty had stopped George W Bush from using his song I Won’t Back Down, so needless to say he didn’t back down from this latest assault on his integrity.
Petty and his Heartbreakers took to the O2 stage at 9.05pm, looking older but no less vintage. No sign of Petty’s trademark grey stovepipe hat – that was destroyed in a house fire a few years ago – but his long-time band mates – keyboard player Benmont Tench, guitarist Mike Campbell, bassist Ron Blair, Drummer Steve Ferrone and multi-instrumentalist Scott Thurston – were present and correct.
The band opened gingerly with Listen to Her Heart, then pushed it a bit more with You Wreck Me, before sealing the deal with I Won’t Back Down and Here Comes My Girl. “It’s been far too long since we were last here,” said a bearded and besuited Petty, then launched into Handle With Care. Oh, yeah, I forgot, he was in the Travelling Wilburys too. What a legend.
A recent song, Good Enough, from the 2010 album Mojo, was a bluesy, Zep-esque three-guitar assault – good enough for me.
The band followed that with a rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s Oh Well, but Petty’s own Free Fallin’ really lifted the gig to the next level. It’s Good To Be King was a right royal wig-out. He may not be the King of American rock, but he’s one of its bravest captains.
Отправлено: 19.06.12 00:40. Заголовок: Voldar пишет: Как ,..
Voldar пишет:
цитата:
Как ,кстати по качеству звука?
Я не спец, но у меня лично претензий нет. Особенно в Хорсенсе было заметно. Пока играл разогрев - сильно глушило уши, поставили аппаратуру TP & HB весь концерт спокойно слушала , хотя и у динамиков была.
Отправлено: 18.06.12 00:43. Заголовок: Tom Petty: a rock s..
Tom Petty: a rock star for the ages On the eve of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ first UK gigs in 13 years, the evergreen rocker is still grateful to the British fans who kickstarted his career. Neil McCormick meets him
Tom Petty sits in the cool quiet of a recording studio at his Malibu beach front house, hunched over a black coffee and drawing on the first in a long chain of cigarettes. His skin has the ashen pall of a serious smoker, his greying beard, long, thin blonde hair and faded T-shirt and sneakers lending him a scraggly appearance at odds with the luxuriousness of the setting.
On the other side of the French windows, there is sunshine, palm trees and the endless blue of the ocean, a vista that resonates with old-fashioned notions of rock-and-roll dreams fulfilled. “My cousin came over and she said, ‘Did you ever think you’d have a house like this?’ ” recalls Petty. “I said, ‘I didn’t know anyone had a house like this’.” He laughs lightly to himself. “I didn’t get into music for those reasons. I saw this as taking the road that wouldn’t be profitable. If it hadn’t worked out, I’m sure I’d still be playing at weekends, holding down a regular job.
“A reliable car, a place to live and a job playing music, that was my goal, it was my entire dream. The rest of it just came in increments. Things started to move really fast and didn’t seem to stop for the longest time. Suddenly, you look around, and all this great stuff has happened. I was just trying to get to the next gig, or the next record. It’s kind of still the same.” He laughs again, with gentle incredulity. “All in all, I’m as happy as a 61-year-old rock star can be.”
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers arrive in the UK this week for their first British gigs in 13 years. “I’m excited,” he says, before recalling his first gig in Britain back in 1976, opening for Nils Lofgren. “The audience just jumped up and charged the stage and were boogieing their brains out. It was such a rush. Wow, we had never seen anything like that, man.”
Petty had been on the fringes of the United States rock scene for a long time but it was in the UK that his lean, classic American song writing first found an audience. “Rock was kind of reinventing itself and we were right in the middle of it. Our sensibilities aligned with punk, we had the same picture, that rock had become stale and overblown. We wanted to play three-chord songs. God, I had fun on that tour. I’m forever grateful, because it was off our success in England that we got a buzz going back home.” Related Articles
Tom Petty to headline Isle of Wight 06 Dec 2011
Tom Petty offers £48,000 reward for stolen guitars 16 Apr 2012
Over the ensuing 36 years, the Heartbreakers have established themselves as one of the all-time great American rock bands, driving Petty’s smart, understated songs with sleek energy and consummate musicianship. Songs like American Girl, Need to Know, Refugee, Don’t Come Around Here no More, Free Fallin’ and Won’t Back Down have become part of the classic rock canon and though hit singles may have dried up in the 21st century, they still make fantastic music and remain one of the US’s most enduringly popular live attractions.
Much in demand by other musicians, Petty has performed with a host of legendary figures from Bob Dylan to Johnny Cash, and could be spotted alongside Bruce Springsteen at this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony, gleefully firing off lead solos as part of Paul McCartney’s all-star ensemble. What shines through everything Petty does is a fan’s enthusiasm and reverence.
“Music is probably the only real magic I have encountered in my life. There’s not some trick involved with it. It’s pure and it’s real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things. It’s been so good to me that I want to be good to it. I want to make music that’s worth making.”
When Petty was 10 years old, he met Elvis Presley on a film set in Florida where his uncle was working. “I remember it really clearly. Elvis came in a line of white Cadillacs, like a reverse funeral, and each guy that got out was wearing a kind of mohair suit with a pompadour, and I thought each one was Elvis. And then suddenly he steps out and you go, ‘Oh, I see!’ There’s quite a difference. He just looked radiant, like nothing I’d ever seen in my life, and he came walking right up to where we were, and I was just stunned. The place was an insane scene of hundreds of people mobbing the set, and pushing against this chain-link fence, and girls screaming, and he seemed not to think much about it. He walked over, and I don’t remember what he said but he gave us a smile. And that was all it took for me.”
Music soon became Petty’s obsession. “I lived in a sort of a troubled household,” he says, “and this was a really safe place for me.” He gave his slingshot to a kid from the same Gainesville, Florida, neighbourhood in exchange for a box of records. “It was pure gold, all the Elvis 45s, the Reprise singles, Little Richard on Specialty, a really nice chunk of the Fifties. I lived with those records, they were my friends.”
But it was the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 that awakened the notion that he might actually be able to play music. “It was like the whole world changed overnight. When I saw them, it hit me, ‘Oh, this can be done. It looks like these guys are really good friends, and they’re young, they’re a self-contained unit, they don’t need orchestras or movies, they look like regular guys. And that wasn’t just me. You talk to any American musician my age, that was the night that made up their mind.”
In 1988, Petty found himself collaborating with George Harrison in the Traveling Wilburys, a band with a line-up that sounds like some kind of fan’s wildest wish list, including Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne of ELO.
“I couldn’t have dreamed that one up. It was so crazy. George was so good in the studio, he really knew how to make a record. It was kind of like a production line. George has some chords, let’s play those and find a melody. We need some words, quick, grab a title, call out a lyric, and everyone would go, ‘No!’, and then you’d find a line you like, and everyone would go ‘Yeah, that’s not bad, let’s get that down’. What I really loved was the power of the vocals. When we sang harmonies it was just chilling. And I just liked the way those guys carried themselves. They were the real thing and didn’t give a damn about anything but music.
“Some really good friendships were made there, it wasn’t all in the sessions, it might move to my house and we’d be up until late just singing and playing. They liked to drink beer. I wish we had played live. George would talk about it all of the time. But the next day the spirit would have worn off. It became too real. I think if George had lived we would have played some shows.”
Petty becomes a little moist-eyed talking about Harrison. “You get into your late fifties, people start falling like flies all around you. I don’t take life for granted any more. I’m really glad to be here. When you get older, your health becomes important to you, things start breaking down, you’ve always got a different ache or pain. But in a lot of ways, I don’t feel that different, especially playing music. Stage age, they call it. Something does lift, a great rush of adrenalin comes in and you may as well be 20. You feel the same. What you don’t wanna do is make an ass of yourself. There’s certain things that don’t become an older man.”
Like many older rock musicians, Petty frets about the direction of popular music. “In my day there was a sense of honour involved, you didn’t want to be a sort of sold-out, cashed-in character. I think that’s disappearing a little bit. There’s a holiness to the thing, for me. I would never put my songs in a commercial. You see rock guys coming on and selling aspirin on television, and I think: ‘You’re not for real man, there’s something unplugged here. You are not giving your audience the truth’. It’s what rock-and-roll is: truth and freedom and something you can count on that isn’t going to lie to you.”
At 61, Petty says his approach to music remains the same as it has always been. “I don’t write as many love songs as I used to, so my wife tells me. I’m just trying to make good rock-and-roll records, it’s not really much more than that. We’re a bad ass little guitar band, really powerful, and that’s all I ever wanted. I had no idea it would go on for this long. But if I don’t do it, I think I’d probably get sick or something.
“It’s clear and evident to me that this is my part in the scheme of things and so I do it, and hopefully I can still do it well.”
Отправлено: 19.06.12 17:29. Заголовок: Tom Petty: A rock st..
Tom Petty: A rock star for the agesPublished: Tuesday, Jun 19, 2012, 18:31 IST By Neil McCormick | Place: London | Agency: Daily Telegraph
Tom Petty sits in the cool quiet of a recording studio at his Malibu beach front house, hunched over a black coffee and drawing on the first in a long chain of cigarettes. His skin has the ashen pall of a serious smoker, his greying beard, long, thin blond hair and faded T-shirt and sneakers lending him a scraggly appearance at odds with the luxuriousness of the setting.
On the other side of the French windows, there is sunshine, palm trees and the endless blue of the ocean, a vista that resonates with old-fashioned notions of rock-and-roll dreams fulfilled. "My cousin came over and she said, 'Did you ever think you'd have a house like this?'?" recalls Petty. "I said, 'I didn't know anyone had a house like this'." He laughs lightly to himself. "I didn't get into music for those reasons. I saw this as taking the road that wouldn't be profitable. If it hadn't worked out, I'm sure I'd still be playing at weekends, holding down a regular job.
"A reliable car, a place to live and a job playing music, that was my goal, it was my entire dream. The rest of it just came in increments. Things started to move really fast and didn't seem to stop for the longest time. Suddenly, you look around, and all this great stuff has happened. I was just trying to get to the next gig, or the next record. It's kind of still the same." He laughs again, with gentle incredulity. "All in all, I'm as happy as a 61-year-old rock star can be."
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers arrived in the UK this week for their first British gigs in 13 years. "I'm excited," he says, before recalling his first gig in Britain back in 1976, opening for Nils Lofgren. "The audience just jumped up and charged the stage and were boogieing their brains out. It was such a rush. Wow, we had never seen anything like that, man."
Petty had been on the fringes of the United States rock scene for a long time but it was in the UK that his lean, classic American song writing first found an audience. "Rock was kind of reinventing itself and we were right in the middle of it. Our sensibilities aligned with punk, we had the same picture, that rock had become stale and overblown. We wanted to play three-chord songs. God, I had fun on that tour. I'm forever grateful, because it was off our success in England that we got a buzz going back home."
Over the ensuing 36 years, the Heartbreakers have established themselves as one of the all-time great American rock bands, driving Petty's smart, understated songs with sleek energy and consummate musicianship. Songs like American Girl, Need to Know, Refugee, Don't Come Around Here no More, Free Fallin' and Won't Back Down have become part of the classic rock canon and though hit singles may have dried up in the 21st century, they still make fantastic music and remain one of the US's most enduringly popular live attractions.
Much in demand by other musicians, Petty has performed with a host of legendary figures from Bob Dylan to Johnny Cash, and could be spotted alongside Bruce Springsteen at this year's Grammy Awards ceremony, gleefully firing off lead solos as part of Paul McCartney's all-star ensemble. What shines through everything Petty does is a fan's enthusiasm and reverence.
"Music is probably the only real magic I have encountered in my life. There's not some trick involved with it. It's pure and it's real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things. It's been so good to me that I want to be good to it. I want to make music that's worth making."
When Petty was 10 years old, he met Elvis Presley on a film set in Florida where his uncle was working. "I remember it really clearly. Elvis came in a line of white Cadillacs, like a reverse funeral, and each guy that got out was wearing a kind of mohair suit with a pompadour, and I thought each one was Elvis. And then suddenly he steps out and you go, 'Oh, I see!' There's quite a difference. He just looked radiant, like nothing I'd ever seen in my life, and he came walking right up to where we were, and I was just stunned. The place was an insane scene of hundreds of people mobbing the set, and pushing against this chain-link fence, and girls screaming, and he seemed not to think much about it. He walked over, and I don't remember what he said but he gave us a smile. And that was all it took for me."
Music soon became Petty's obsession. "I lived in a sort of a troubled household," he says, "and this was a really safe place for me." He gave his slingshot to a kid from the same Gainesville, Florida, neighbourhood in exchange for a box of records. "It was pure gold, all the Elvis 45s, the Reprise singles, Little Richard on Specialty, a really nice chunk of the Fifties. I lived with those records, they were my friends."
But it was the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 that awakened the notion that he might actually be able to play music. "It was like the whole world changed overnight. When I saw them, it hit me, 'Oh, this can be done. It looks like these guys are really good friends, and they're young, they're a self-contained unit, they don't need orchestras or movies, they look like regular guys. And that wasn't just me. You talk to any American musician my age, that was the night that made up their mind."
n 1988, Petty found himself collaborating with George Harrison in the Traveling Wilburys, a band with a line-up that sounds like some kind of fan's wildest wish list, including Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne of ELO.
"I couldn't have dreamed that one up. It was so crazy. George was so good in the studio, he really knew how to make a record. It was kind of like a production line. George has some chords, let's play those and find a melody. We need some words, quick, grab a title, call out a lyric, and everyone would go, 'No!', and then you'd find a line you like, and everyone would go 'Yeah, that's not bad, let's get that down'. What I really loved was the power of the vocals. When we sang harmonies it was just chilling. And I just liked the way those guys carried themselves. They were the real thing and didn't give a damn about anything but music.
"Some really good friendships were made there, it wasn't all in the sessions, it might move to my house and we'd be up until late just singing and playing. They liked to drink beer. I wish we had played live. George would talk about it all of the time. But the next day the spirit would have worn off. It became too real. I think if George had lived we would have played some shows."
Petty becomes a little moist-eyed talking about Harrison. "You get into your late fifties, people start falling like flies all around you. I don't take life for granted any more. I'm really glad to be here. When you get older, your health becomes important to you, things start breaking down, you've always got a different ache or pain. But in a lot of ways, I don't feel that different, especially playing music. Stage age, they call it. Something does lift, a great rush of adrenalin comes in and you may as well be 20. You feel the same. What you don't wanna do is make an ass of yourself. There's certain things that don't become an older man."
Like many older rock musicians, Petty frets about the direction of popular music. "In my day there was a sense of honour involved, you didn't want to be a sort of sold-out, cashed-in character. I think that's disappearing a little bit. There's a holiness to the thing, for me. I would never put my songs in a commercial. You see rock guys coming on and selling aspirin on television, and I think: 'You're not for real man, there's something unplugged here. You are not giving your audience the truth'. It's what rock-and-roll is: truth and freedom and something you can count on that isn't going to lie to you."
At 61, Petty says his approach to music remains the same as it has always been. "I don't write as many love songs as I used to, so my wife tells me. I'm just trying to make good rock-and-roll records, it's not really much more than that. We're a bad ass little guitar band, really powerful, and that's all I ever wanted. I had no idea it would go on for this long. But if I don't do it, I think I'd probably get sick or something.
"It's clear and evident to me that this is my part in the scheme of things and so I do it, and hopefully I can still do it well."
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are performing at the Royal Albert Hall, London SW7, on Monday (last night) and Wednesday, before headlining the Isle of Wight festival on Friday
Все даты в формате GMT
3 час. Хитов сегодня: 0
Права: смайлы да, картинки да, шрифты нет, голосования нет
аватары да, автозамена ссылок вкл, премодерация вкл, правка нет
Наши в Хорсенсе. 
- участник сейчас на форуме
- участник вне форума