LIVE: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers/Steve Winwood at XL Center, Hartford, CT (9/13/14)
“You better call the babysitter, ‘This might be a long one, he looks kinda hiiiiiiiiiigh.’” Tom Petty set the tone for the show with his characteristically playful statement as he began a performance that would last just over two hours. Of course, the night was already long as the audience had been treated to an hour of Steve Winwood before the main show. And what a great combination; the audience was pumped and ready to experience a phenomenal show.
I will start with Winwood, the opening act who, let’s face it, can hardly be categorized as an opening act. Before I go on, I’m going to admit two things to you:
1. I’m not well-versed in Steve Winwood’s discography. Nothing against him, of course, I just haven’t personally delved much into The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith, or his solo-pursuits. I have a vague knowledge based on what I’ve heard on the radio over the years.
2. I missed the first two or three songs of his set. I know, I know. FOR SHAME. I’m going to attempt to shift the blame to the slowest fast-food joint in Hartford, CT, perhaps even in all of New England. (Seriously, does it really take twenty minutes to get three chicken strips and a small fry to me? I shall refrain from naming the franchise because I’m just a nice person, but I will say that I didn’t have it my way.) (Oh, snap.) I will also put the blame on having to seriously fight through very large, bustling crowds at the XL Center to finally get to my seat, but perhaps that is a good thing. The place was hopping from start to finish.
Back to Winwood. When I finally did settle into my seat, he was in the middle of a long jam, admittedly of a song I didn’t know. In fact, I didn’t recognize any of his songs until the last three (“Higher Love,” “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” and “Gimme Some Lovin’,” respectively). That being said, Winwood was fantastic. His voice is extremely well preserved, sounding no different from the tracks I’ve heard on the radio recorded all those years ago. His musicianship was flawless as he swapped keyboard for guitar and back several times and knew how to draw out a song through lengthy instrumentals without leading to tedium or losing the enthusiastic attention of the audience.
I’ve been to many a concert where the opening act was a relatively unknown band trying to make a name for themselves and who are all but shunned by the audience who just want to see the headliner. Not so with Winwood; as a well established act with deep roots in the history of twentieth century music, the crowd was ecstatic to have him warm them up, cheering and roaring with approval as he played what were obviously much-beloved tunes. I think it was safe to say that some of the crowd was probably disappointed when Winwood gave his final bow and left the stage. But they were also charged up, the energy from “Gimme Some Lovin’” pulsing through the arena.
Half an hour after Winwood’s set, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers took the stage, beginning with a lively cover of The Byrds’ “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘N’ Roll Star,” a lovely tongue-in-cheek way to start the show. The band followed with “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and like magic, the air was filled with scents that made me reminiscent of my walks to the laundry room in college. I mean, not to suggest that anyone was doing anything of an illicit nature inside such a respectable venue. Except they totally were, and honestly no one cared. C’mon now, it’s a Tom Petty gig. The man himself made several self-deprecating jokes throughout the show suggesting that much of his memory of certain years is a little hazy, to say the least.
For the most part, the show was your typical “greatest hits” act, which is always a crowd pleaser. Tom and the band pulled out many classics, both from the Heartbreakers years, such as “Into the Great Wide Open” and “Refugee” as well as many solo-Petty tracks including “Yer So Bad” and “Free Fallin’.” I was pleasantly surprised when they went into an extended rendition of “Tweeter and the Monkey Man” of Traveling Wilburys fame, but was disappointed to see the number of concert-goers who chose that moment to make their bladder-and-beer runs.
Naturally with a new album out, the band included four new tracks in the set, which, in my opinion, are worthy of being among Petty’s notable discography. I was intrigued by the album-with-ticket promotion used on this tour; everyone who bought a ticket to a Heartbreakers gig got a free download of Hypnotic Eye through Ticketmaster and Warner Music Group. I truly believe that this is a great strategy, particularly for more seasoned acts, to get fans to hear their new material, especially when many fans are reluctant to try new music from older acts, preferring to cling to their beloved classics. And the album is worth both the cost of the ticket and its standalone cost if you aren’t fortunate enough to see Petty on tour this year. “U Get Me High” and “American Dream Plan B” contain the true spirit of the Heartbreakers from the 1970’s through the present. It says something of how tight Petty, Mike Campbell, and the boys are on this tour that the live versions of these new tracks Saturday night sounded almost exact to the studio recordings. Yes, they are truly that good live.
Aside from the hits, Petty led an acoustic rendition of “Rebels” off Southern Accents and “I Should Have Known It,” a heavier-than-usual rocker from the Heartbreakers’ 2010 album Mojo. Finally, after 11pm, the band concluded the show with their encore of “You Wreck Me” and “American Girl,” an excellent high note (pun utterly and completely intended) on which to end.
What truly amazed me was not just how well the band played, how Petty’s voice seemed eternally youthful, or even how many of the songs were favorites of mine, but just how many of his songs, popular constantly-on-the-radio songs at that, were omitted from the show. I would have loved to hear “Breakdown,” “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” or even one of his relatively recent songs like “Saving Grace.” But that just confirms the value of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ impact on popular music, that he could have so many catchy, meaningful songs to choose from and still leave an audience feeling as if they got their money’s worth in the end. And he did just that Saturday night in Hartford.
