Tom Petty

September 22: Bob Dylan (with Tom Petty & Willie Nelson) @ Farm Aid 1985 (HQ video)

Posted on by Egil Mosbron


[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_color=”mulled_wine” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”]Dylan joins Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers (who have just concluded their own set) on stage. Together they launch straight into “Clean-Cut Kid” followed by a blues song called “Shake,” seemingly a Dylan lyric set to the rune of Roy Head’s “Treat Her Right.” Then comes the live debuts of two Empire Burlesque songs, “I’ll Remember You” and “Trust Yourself,” both of which have Dylan dueting with Madelyn Quebec, who is clearly struggling to keep up with his idiosyncratic phrasing. A searing version of “That Lucky 0l’ Sun” follows, before Willie Nelson joins them on guitar for a romp through the highly appropriate “Maggie’s Farm.” Although the American TV broadcast, courtesy of the Nashville Network, manages to omit the first and fifth songs and cut the second, the excitement of the performance comes across, reaffirming Dylan’s power in concert after the very public disaster at “Live Aid ” The buzz from the concert is enough for him to suggest a more longterm collaboration with the Heartbreakers.
~Clinton Heylin (Bob Dylan: A Life in Stolen Moments Day by Day 1941-1995)[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row]

University Of Illinois
Champaign, Illinois
22 September 1985
Farm Aid Concert

  • Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
  • Tom Petty (guitar)
  • Mike Campbell (guitar)
  • Benmont Tench (keyboards)
  • Howie Epstein (bass)
  • Stan Lynch (drums)
  • Debra Byrd, Queen Esther Marrow, Madelyn Quebec, Elisecia Wright (backing vocals)

Continue reading “September 22: Bob Dylan (with Tom Petty & Willie Nelson) @ Farm Aid 1985 (HQ video)” →

September 15: Bob Dylan @ Dortmund, West Germany 1987 – Wonderful Concert

Posted on by Egil Mosbron

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_color=”mulled_wine” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”]..spectacular from start to finish.. Bob Dylan feels good about himself and his work, this night in Dortmund. You can hear it in his voice. It’s a unique, very wonderful Bob Dylan voice, special to this show. His presence this time is not a matter of being one with the protagonists of the songs or the persons being sung to. It’s a matter of his enthusiasm for the act of
singing, and for each of these songs that he gets to sing. An a subtle but measurable sense, this “Tangled Up in Blue” vocal is not like any other rendition.
~Paul Williams (Bob Dylan: Performing Artist Volume 3: Mind Out Of Time 1986 And Beyond)[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Westfalenhalle 1
Dortmund, West Germany
15 September 1987

  • Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar) with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.
  • Tom Petty (guitar)
  • Mike Campbell (guitar)
  • Benmont Tench (keyboards)
  • Howie Epstein (bass)
  • Stan Lynch (drums)
  • The Queens Of Rhythm: Carolyn Dennis, Queen Esther Marrow, Madelyn Quebec (backing vocals)

Continue reading “September 15: Bob Dylan @ Dortmund, West Germany 1987 – Wonderful Concert” →

Classic TV: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers VH1 Storytellers 1999

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

Tom Petty talks about how he wrote his songs, and even writes one on the spot (kind of)! This is episode 1 in season 4 of this classic TV-series. It shows us what a wonderful storyteller Tom Petty was, through his songs and in between. He was one of the nicest guys around, and a very talented songwriter. This VH1 episode gives us Tom Petty at the height of his powers performing to an intimate audience and explaining with humour the inspiration for his songs.

Very insightful, funny and touching, enjoy! Continue reading “Classic TV: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers VH1 Storytellers 1999” →

Classic concert: Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers at Rockpalast 1999

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
1999-04-23
Live at Rockpalast
Hamburg Docks “The Docks”
Hamburg, Germany

This was only a couple of weeks after the release of the album Echo, an often overlooked and underrated album in the Petty discography. It’s a dark album, reflecting Petty’s life in this period. Tom Petty was initially unhappy with the record. According to biographer Warren Zanes, he struggled with a bad heroin habit at the time. Tom Petty’s feelings about the album could be related to what he was going through, rather than the musical content of the album. His failing marriage, difficult divorce, and the unsettled aftermath must have played a role. After the divorce, he lived a very isolated life for a while.

The songs on the album are very personal and naked, and once the album was finished, he didn’t want to go through the painful emotions depicted in the songs again. After the 1999 tour he did not revisit songs from Echo (with the exception of ‘Swingin’ on some dates on his final tour in 2017). Continue reading “Classic concert: Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers at Rockpalast 1999” →

August 3: Bob Dylan @ Inglewood, Los Angeles, California 1986 (audio)

Posted on by Egil Mosbron

Bob Dylan 1986

 

The Forum
Inglewood
Los Angeles, California
3 August 1986

Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar) with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.

  • Tom Petty (guitar)
  • Mike Campbell (guitar)
  • Benmont Tench (keyboards)
  • Howie Epstein (bass)
  • Stan Lynch (drums)

The Queens Of Rhythm:

  • Carolyn Dennis (backing vocals)
  • Queen Esther Marrow (backing vocals)
  • Madelyn Quebec (backing vocals)
  • Louise Bethune (backing vocals)

Continue reading “August 3: Bob Dylan @ Inglewood, Los Angeles, California 1986 (audio)” →

November 9: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers released their self titled debut in 1976

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

“At the time Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ debut was released in 1976, they were fresh enough to almost be considered punk. They weren’t as reckless or visionary as the Ramones, but they shared a similar love for pure ’60s rock and, for the Heartbreakers, that meant embracing the Byrds as much as the Stones. And that’s pretty much what this album is — tuneful jangle balanced by a tough garage swagger. At times, the attitude and the sound override the songwriting, but that’s alright, since the slight songs (“Anything That’s Rock ‘N’ Roll,” to pick a random example) are still infused with spirit and an appealing surface…”
– Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Allmusic)

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is the debut album by the band of the same name, released on November 9, 1976 by Shelter Records.

Initially following its release, the album received little attention in the United States. Following a British tour, it climbed to number 24 on the UK albums chart and the single “Anything That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll” became a hit in the UK. After nearly a year and many positive reviews, the album reached the U.S. charts, where it peaked at number 55 in 1978 and eventually went Gold. The single “Breakdown” cracked the Top 40 in the U.S. and “American Girl” became an FM radio staple that can still be heard today.

I got the album in 79 and it made me a Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers fan for life. Continue reading “November 9: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers released their self titled debut in 1976” →