Petty fans rip it up at the DECC

BY V. PAUL VIRTUCIONEWS TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

The main floor of Tom Petty's Wednesday night concert at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Arena was more tightly packed than a Black Labels gig at John's Red Lion Lounge in downtown Duluth.

As soon as Petty and the Heartbreakers played the first chords to "American Girl," fans in the back rows flooded the aisles and jammed the front main floor. That's not normal behavior for Northlanders who know they're only supposed to sit where their ticket stub tells them.
That meant something different to the 5,569 people in the audience, depending on their demographics.

Those college-aged, local-band-patronizing Petty fans looked like they were having a freaky good time, standing shoulder-to-shoulder and front-to-back, spilling beer on each other, smoking (some tokin'), with girls sitting atop guys' shoulders and guys stripping their shirts as they proudly sang along.

Those in the been-there-done-that crowd who wanted to enjoy Petty's live music felt a little miffed at having paid a $54 ticket price only to be distracted and discomforted by the aisle dwellers.

Apparently, it's what the band was expecting to happen. Petty had requested that DECC security officials hang back and not prevent his fans from crowding forward or dancing in the aisles, said Craig Samborski, the DECC's entertainment director. So even though the concert was overstaffed with security personnel, they found themselves unable to turn back the tide of surging fans.

That only contributed to an absolutely wild night of Petty ambling, scooting and showboating about the stage as he played crowd favorites. Dressed in a pin-striped suit and metallic tie (which he later doffed as temperatures rose), Petty set the standard for veteran rockers who should be entertaining their fans instead of resting on their laurels as they blandly play their radio hits.

Petty's opening set of "American Girl" and "You Don't Know How It Feels" brought the crowd to a near orgasmic fervor, which he built upon with fulfilling versions of "Free Fallin'," "I Won't Back Down," "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and "Learning to Fly."

With an acoustic guitar, Petty played the Johnny Cash-like tune called "Melinda," a yet-unrecorded song. Though audience members didn't know the lyrics, their energies didn't abate.
The Heartbreakers provided dozens of evening highlights with each musician's extended solos. "Refugee" showcased Petty and lead guitarist Mike Campbell. Benmont Tench on piano blew the crowd away in "You Got Lucky."

Petty's favorite facial expression Wednesday was a look of awe: He was overwhelmed by the intense greeting he received at the DECC and he showed his appreciation by constantly bowing and embracing the air as if to embrace the entire crowd.

Throughout Petty's concert, the arena was filled with raised lighters, shirts and arms waved in ecstasy, fans singing proudly and couples making out fervently. It was a live concert that wasn't just about the music but about the experience.