Tom Petty and the heart-felt hits

A legendary rock band manages to be humble and stellar at once
MARTY HUGHLEY

With apologies to the folks behind the current ad campaign for the Volkswagen Jetta, you might say that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have the lowest ego emissions of any enduringly great American rock band.

Saturday night, Petty's venerable combo took the Amphitheater at Clark County for a two-hour joy ride through classic territory, cruising through hit after potently memorable hit with nary a bump in the road nor a pointless hey-look-at-me maneuver.

Which is to say, even among the few acts that might compare with the Heartbreakers in terms of success, longevity, consistency, distinctiveness and so on, none is so disciplined in its focus on the songs. The band's delivery is concise, precise and spirited, and in its attention to detail seems to honor not just its own craftsmanship but the audience's deep association with every melodic hook and tonal contour.

With the sound at Saturday's show rich and finely balanced from the first notes, that fealty to the studio versions was so strong you might have distrusted it, if not for Petty's decades as a paragon of rock 'n' roll integrity. If you've ever heard "Listen to Her Heart," "You Don't Know How It Feels," "I Won't Back Down," "Free Fallin' " or his new hit "Saving Grace" on a great sound system, just imagine a little added energy and, occasionally, a full house singing along.

On the other hand, these guys are anything but rockin' robots. "Mary Jane's Last Dance," for instance, rolled along with just the right dreamy yet steady feel, but a rare guitar solo from Petty instead of his trusted "co-captain" Mike Campbell was an unexpected treat. And the whole affair began to breathe more when Campbell and drummer Steve Ferrone cut loose with a pair of gritty British blues-rock covers (the Yardbirds' "I'm a Man" and Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well"), a nod to the band's early influences.

Special guest Stevie Nicks came out to share lead vocals with Petty on "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" and "I Need to Know," and returned a bit later for "The Insider" and some backing harmonies on "Don't Come Around Here No More." But more crucial to the show's success were less-celebrated contributors, especially band co-founder Benmont Tench, whose stately piano embellishments added an extra layer of drama to the rocker "Runnin' Down a Dream," and Oregon native Scott Thurston, on harmonica, rhythm guitar and backing vocals.

The current tour celebrates the 30th anniversary of the band's debut album. And while signature rockers such as "Refugee" and "You Wreck Me" were high points, it was especially gratifying that new songs such as the Byrdsy "Flirting With Time" and the delicate ballad "Square One" sounded like instant classics, too.

Petty has hinted that this may be his last lengthy national tour. But this American-engineered rock band is still an unassuming king of the road.