Tom Petty looks back over 30 years

Concert review
By Chris Varias
Enquirer contributor

Had Stevie Nicks materialized unexpectedly for a duet, the retrospective that was the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ performance at Riverbend Tuesday would have been complete.
Petty put forth a show representative of his long career, running through hits of the solo, Heartbreaker and Wilbury varieties – plus a bit of brand-new material, a couple choice covers and some lesser-known Heartbreakers tunes – in his laid-back-yet-rocking manner.

It has been a pretty good 30-year run for Petty, and likewise it was a great two-hour show, with the near-sellout crowd energized by each modern-day classic-rock moment, from the first ringing guitar chords of the opening number “Listen to Her Heart” to the sing-along chorus of the “American Girl” encore.

Along the way came such highlights a set-closing run of “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” “Refugee” and “Running Down a Dream.” Heartbreakers ace guitarist Mike Campbell saved his best playing for the end and gave each song a memorable guitar solo. The three-song block was preceded by an acoustic take on “Learning to Fly,” one of the few times Petty veered from doing a faithful recreation of the recorded version.

The band did “Handle with Care,” a hit song by the Traveling Wilburys, the ‘80s supergroup Petty formed with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne. Petty sang Harrison’s lead, and left the trickier Orbison parts to Heartbreakers multi-instrumentalist Scott Thurston. Thurston also shined playing harmonica in a Buddy Holly-via-the Rolling Stones version of “Not Fade Away.”

The two new numbers were miss-and-hit, respectively. The first one to be played, called “Turn This Car Around,” is due on a new album later this year. It’s a slow, straightforward rocker in the vein of newer later material like “You Don’t Know How It Feels” and “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” but not as strong as either tune. The second, “Melinda,” wasn’t a much better song, but the performance was salvaged by a long piano interlude from keyboardist Benmont Tench.
If Petty’s set was heavy on hits and eager to please, opening act the Black Crowes went the other way. The reunited rock group, led by brothers Chris (vocals) and Rich (guitar) Robinson spent most of their hour on stage playing lesser-known ‘70s-style-boogie material fitted with flights of improvisation.

The back end of the set was more fan-friendly (although Chris’ wife, movie star Kate Hudson, seemed to enjoy the entire Crowes’ performance from her perch to the side of the stage). It included a ringing version of the Stones’ “Torn and Frayed,” with the Robinson brothers doing some pretty Mick-and-Keith-worthy harmonizing, followed by the one-two finale of “Jealous Again” and “She Talks to Angels.”