Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: An American Band
Chicago, IL-United Center - July 2, 2008

by Anthony Kuzminski with photos by Rob Grabowski

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers stop at the United Center in Chicago found a band completely in control of their craft. For over two-hours, the band surpassed my unrealistic expectations performing six songs I had never seen before and a few new and novel arrangements. Hitting the stage at 9:10pm, the band immediately surged into "Wreck Me". They proved to be a well oiled machine as they immediately segued into "Listen To Her Heart" which featured five shaped boxes that hung over the stage turning into screens proving you can be inventive with your stage without being extreme. Far more dazzling than any stage prop was striking and precise shots of Steve Ferrone's drums and the subtle rhythms dropped by bass player Ron Blair. As Petty put an acoustic around his neck and performed his definitive anthem "I Won't Back Down", you could hear the crowd cut through the vastness of the arena providing a moment that wasn't just warm and intimate but resurrecting as well. The song is nearly two-decades old but this performance is as unyielding as it has ever been. The test of a truly great song is when it transcends time and proves to be forever timeless; "I Won't Back Down" (and most of Petty's catalog for that matter) is as timeless as they come. 

"Even The Losers" burst to life in a way I never imagined possible while "Free Fallin'" was another sing-a-long moment for the crowd. Whenever I hear this song, I think about my Mom. The week Full Moon Fever was released in 1989, I found myself in Sound Warehouse and Fever was playing on the store system and my Mom asked me who it was because she liked it. I was shocked that the album was as melodic and marvelous as it was. The album was $6 on cassette and my Mom agreed to split it with me as long as I agreed to let her borrow it every once in a while. Over the next few years, whenever I was in the car with her, I knew I'd be able to listen to Full Moon Fever and it was something the two of us shared where we both related to that killer lyric "Gonna leave this world for a while" and it always elicited a laugh from my Mom on when she heard "Yer So Bad" with its grin inducing lyrics. "Mary Jane's Last Dance" always brings the crowd to its knees and this performance did just that with the crowd singing along to every word. What followed I don't think anyone could have ever foreseen as Petty dug back a solid decade and pulled out a b-side, "Sweet William" from the "Room At The Top" European single and EP. The bluesy and bursting number was a surprise addition and a most welcomed one. I never knew of the song before tonight and I'll be seeking it out now as a result.

Dipping further into his chest full of lost gems, "End of the Line" was a jangly and jolting. The never performed before Traveling Wilburys number found Heartbreaker Scott Thurston shining on the dual harmony vocals reminding us why the two Wilbury albums are so alluring and sundry. Despite having five legends switching off on lead vocals on the album, the Heartbreakers managed to bring this song to life with ease. Opener Steve Winwood, who earlier in the evening left many in the crowd with their mouths gaping at his prowess of the guitar on "Dear Mr. Fantasy" joined Petty and the Heartbreakers for two songs; "Can't Find My Way Home" and "Gimme Some Lovin'". The soulful "Can't Find My Way Home" featured stellar six string theatrics by Winwood but it was his angelic voice that soared to the heavens and left an indelible impression. "Gimme Some Lovin'" supercharged the crowd with a surging beat and potent tempo that has the whole arena quaking. "Saving Grace" was dressed up with full tilt boogie swagger that vastly improved on the album version. Guitarist Mike Campbell provided some stunning slide guitar on this one while Benmont Tench almost stole the show with a smoldering organ solo and a sweet and spastic piano jam. The onslaught triple guitar attack highlighted the sweet "Honey Bee"; a intoxicating song that will forever be enshrined in my memory bank because of Dave Grohl's head banging theatrics behind the kit during the band's 1994 performance on Saturday Night Live. The Full Moon Fever track "Face In The Crowd" was aired for the first time in almost two decades. This was a wise move because it appeases the die hard fans with a rarity and doesn't alienate the casual fans because even though it's a deep cut, it's from his best selling album (it peaked at #46 on the chart). The simplistic chords of the song leave an indelible impression and I hope to see Petty take more chances with his catalog like this in the future. The vivid "You Don't Know How It Feels", the fist in the air psychedelia of "Don't Come Around Here No More" and the sweltering and smoking "Refugee" were all nothing short of astonishing and brought the main set to a close. The crowd fed off the material like I've never seen at a Petty concert before; he didn't have to work as hard as many other artists currently on the road. He let his varied catalog and the pacing of the set do most of the work for him. With every concert tour, Petty's popularity appears to soar to new heights. Within five feet of me were people from the age of fourteen all the way to sixty-five and every other age in between. The diversity and vastness of ages within his audience is something none of his arena contemporaries can lay claim to.

The encore consisted of the ferocious "Runnin' Down A Dream", the celebratory Van Morrison cover of "Gloria" and the dizzying guitar army theatrics of "American Girl" which threw the audience into overdrive. As the lights adorned the crowd, every single person from the first row to the upper regions of the balcony joyously released their inner emotions providing a moment that wasn't just mind-blowing and breathtaking, but sincere as well. The phoenix-like velocity of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performance raised the roof on the United Center delivering a knock-out. The entire crowd will be using this concert as a benchmark for judging shows going forward; they simply don't get any better than this. 

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.
 

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