BY DEVIN GRANT Special to The Post and Courier
When Chuck Gravley walked into the North Charleston Coliseum on Friday evening to see a concert by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, he was attending the show as more than just a fan -- Gravley was family.
In addition to being an avid listener of Petty's music, Gravley, an airport security screener who lives in Ladson, is actually related to one of the band members, keyboardist Benmont Tench.
"He's my uncle's wife's sister's son," explained Gravley, who was attending the show with his son, Ken, and his grandson, Tyler. In loose terms, that makes Tench a cousin of Gravley, who hasn't actually spoken with the musician since the late '60s, when the Gravley family traveled to Gainesville, Fla., to visit their Tench brethren.
Even back then though, Gravley remembers that Tench was a natural, saying "He was an impressive talent, even in his teens."
Gravley's first clue that Tench had achieved fame and fortune came almost a decade later, when the Ladson man was in the Navy. According to Gravley, his brother called him one day to report that their piano-playing cousin was in a band Gravley might have heard of.
"He said, 'We have a famous family member,' " recalls Gravley. Family ties notwithstanding, Gravley makes it a point to try and see the band whenever it performs close to the Lowcountry. Its last visit to Charleston was a show at the North Charleston Coliseum in September 1995.
Up in the Radio Room, a pre-concert cocktail lounge set up by ClearChannel Communications, which sponsored Friday night's concert, local classic rock radio station Q104.5 was holding a Tom Petty look-alike contest. Radio personality Michael Blaze used the crowd to pick the eventual winner: 14-year-old Becky Johnson, a freshman student at Wando High School in Mount Pleasant.
Johnson, who claims to have been listening to Petty's music "since before I could remember," had clearly put a lot of thought into her costume, which was straight out of Petty's psychedelic music video for the song "Don't Come Around Here No More." Clad in a colorful floppy hat, a black waistcoat and checkerboard pattered sneakers, Johnson was clearly the crowd favorite. The second-row tickets that Johnson won as first prize went to her mother, who was celebrating a birthday.
Friday night's show at the Coliseum began with a performance by gospel and R&B legend Mavis Staples. Some might have considered Staples, whose vocal style calls to mind the late Mahalia Jackson, an odd choice for an opening act for a classic rock band. The singer, who recorded on the Stax record label in the '60s, didn't take long to make an impression on the crowd with her spirited renditions of R&B and gospel songs. By the time Staples left the stage almost an hour later, the singer had clearly won over the audience.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers took to the stage shortly after Staples' departure, opening with one of the band's classic tunes, "American Girl." The popular classic rock band, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, immediately had the crowd on their feet.
With the exception of the title track from the band's latest album, "The Last DJ," and a couple of cover songs, the evening became a celebration of the long list of hits the band has scored over the last 30 years. Crowd favorites included "Mary Jane's Last Dance," "You Don't Know How It Feels" and "Free Fallin."
Besides Petty, the band lineup included lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Tench, multi-instrumentalist Scott Thurston, drummer Steve Ferone, and bassist Ron Blair. Blair, who was the original bassist for the Heartbreakers before leaving the band in the '80s, recently returned to the fold after the departure of longtime bassist Howie Epstein, who died earlier this year.
A surprise came when Petty performed "Handle With Care," a song from the 1988 debut album by the Traveling Wilburys. That group consisted of Petty, Jeff Lynne and Bob Dylan, as well as the late musicians Roy Orbison and George Harrison.
Petty also unveiled a new song, "Melinda," which he played on acoustic guitar. That song, which called to mind the sound of Johnny Cash, received a warm response from the audience.
Showing posts with label Charleston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charleston. Show all posts
Monday, August 18, 2003
Friday, August 15, 2003
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Charleston Review
Legend makes his way to North Charleston Friday night
BY DEVIN GRANT Special to The Post and Courier
Not too many people at the age of 12 knew what they were going to be doing for a living. For Tom Petty though, that is exactly the age it happened. When Elvis Presley came to Gainesville, Fla., in 1961 to work in the film "Follow That Dream," Petty, then eleven years old and a native of Gainesville, got a chance to meet the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Less than a year later, Petty had his plan in place. It was pretty simple, really. He would put together a rock band, record some music, and become rich and famous.
Petty, who performs with his band, the Heartbreakers, is in town tomorrow night. He did indeed achieve his goal, but it was anything but simple. Success with the Heartbreakers didn't come until after the demise of at least three other bands (The Sundowners, The Epics, and Mudcrutch) and a last-ditch move from Florida to Los Angeles in the early '70s. Mudcrutch was actually signed to a small label in L.A. and even released a single, "Depot Street." Nevertheless, that band soon folded. Petty then pulled some friends from his failed bands together and formed the Heartbreakers, and the rest is rock 'n' roll history.
To say that Tom Petty has done well as an artist would be putting it mildly. Since releasing a self-titled debut album in 1976, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have clamped onto the consciousness of the music buying public, despite the fact that not a single Petty song has ever been used in any sort of advertisement. In today's world, where Jewel's latest single was featured on a razor commercial the week her new album came out, that's saying a lot. Rather than sell out for the benefit of quick cash, Petty has always preferred to let his music do the talking. Singles such as "American Girl," "Breakdown," "Don't Do Me Like That," "Refugee," and "Here Comes My Girl" made Petty a millionaire before the end of the '70s. In the '80s, Petty and his band embraced the new medium of the music video, turning out hugely popular visual interpretations of songs such as "You Got Lucky" (with its futuristic "Road Warrior" feel) and "Don't Come Around Here No More" (Alice in Wonderland on acid).
The '90s found Petty's sound maturing thanks to a stint playing with the Traveling Wilburys, a super-group that featured Petty, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, and the late George Harrison and Roy Orbison. More radio hits with the Heartbreakers followed, including "Free Fallin'," "Runnin' Down a Dream," "Into the Great Wide Open," and "Mary Jane's Last Dance." Last year, Petty and his band received the ultimate honor when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not bad for a star struck kid from Gainesville.
Petty arrives in Charleston touring in support of his latest release with the Heartbreakers, "The Last DJ." Released last year, the CD is Petty's first concept album, and the artist wasted no time letting his listeners know where he stands on the subject of the music business these days.
The album's title track takes a shot at the huge radio conglomerates, such as Clear Channel and Infinity, that own hundreds (and in some cases, thousands) of radio stations.
It's clear that Petty misses the days of free form radio when he sings, "there goes your freedom of choice/there goes the last human voice." (Ironically, tomorrow night's show is presented by Clear Channel).
In the song "Money Becomes King," Petty tells the story from the point of view of a music fan who watches as his favorite performer becomes a pawn of the music company, eventually pricing himself out of his fan's range ("and way up in the nosebleeds/we watched him on the screen/they'd hung between the billboards/so cheaper seats could see"). "Joe," a plodding number, is sung from the point of view of a fat cat record company CEO who leaves no question as to who is really important in the artist/label relationship ("I'm the hand on the green light switch/you get to be famous, I get to be rich"). But although much of "The Last DJ" is filled with angry diatribes, Petty also shows that he hasn't forgotten why he's still in this game despite having made enough dough to go retire on his own island somewhere. "Dreamville" is a perfect example. It's a beautiful song that begins with its narrator walking down to the music store to buy a new set of guitar strings.
Petty fans attending Friday's concert can expect to hear more than a few songs from "The Last DJ" but also a good selection of Petty classics.
BY DEVIN GRANT Special to The Post and Courier
Not too many people at the age of 12 knew what they were going to be doing for a living. For Tom Petty though, that is exactly the age it happened. When Elvis Presley came to Gainesville, Fla., in 1961 to work in the film "Follow That Dream," Petty, then eleven years old and a native of Gainesville, got a chance to meet the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Less than a year later, Petty had his plan in place. It was pretty simple, really. He would put together a rock band, record some music, and become rich and famous.
Petty, who performs with his band, the Heartbreakers, is in town tomorrow night. He did indeed achieve his goal, but it was anything but simple. Success with the Heartbreakers didn't come until after the demise of at least three other bands (The Sundowners, The Epics, and Mudcrutch) and a last-ditch move from Florida to Los Angeles in the early '70s. Mudcrutch was actually signed to a small label in L.A. and even released a single, "Depot Street." Nevertheless, that band soon folded. Petty then pulled some friends from his failed bands together and formed the Heartbreakers, and the rest is rock 'n' roll history.
To say that Tom Petty has done well as an artist would be putting it mildly. Since releasing a self-titled debut album in 1976, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have clamped onto the consciousness of the music buying public, despite the fact that not a single Petty song has ever been used in any sort of advertisement. In today's world, where Jewel's latest single was featured on a razor commercial the week her new album came out, that's saying a lot. Rather than sell out for the benefit of quick cash, Petty has always preferred to let his music do the talking. Singles such as "American Girl," "Breakdown," "Don't Do Me Like That," "Refugee," and "Here Comes My Girl" made Petty a millionaire before the end of the '70s. In the '80s, Petty and his band embraced the new medium of the music video, turning out hugely popular visual interpretations of songs such as "You Got Lucky" (with its futuristic "Road Warrior" feel) and "Don't Come Around Here No More" (Alice in Wonderland on acid).
The '90s found Petty's sound maturing thanks to a stint playing with the Traveling Wilburys, a super-group that featured Petty, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, and the late George Harrison and Roy Orbison. More radio hits with the Heartbreakers followed, including "Free Fallin'," "Runnin' Down a Dream," "Into the Great Wide Open," and "Mary Jane's Last Dance." Last year, Petty and his band received the ultimate honor when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not bad for a star struck kid from Gainesville.
Petty arrives in Charleston touring in support of his latest release with the Heartbreakers, "The Last DJ." Released last year, the CD is Petty's first concept album, and the artist wasted no time letting his listeners know where he stands on the subject of the music business these days.
The album's title track takes a shot at the huge radio conglomerates, such as Clear Channel and Infinity, that own hundreds (and in some cases, thousands) of radio stations.
It's clear that Petty misses the days of free form radio when he sings, "there goes your freedom of choice/there goes the last human voice." (Ironically, tomorrow night's show is presented by Clear Channel).
In the song "Money Becomes King," Petty tells the story from the point of view of a music fan who watches as his favorite performer becomes a pawn of the music company, eventually pricing himself out of his fan's range ("and way up in the nosebleeds/we watched him on the screen/they'd hung between the billboards/so cheaper seats could see"). "Joe," a plodding number, is sung from the point of view of a fat cat record company CEO who leaves no question as to who is really important in the artist/label relationship ("I'm the hand on the green light switch/you get to be famous, I get to be rich"). But although much of "The Last DJ" is filled with angry diatribes, Petty also shows that he hasn't forgotten why he's still in this game despite having made enough dough to go retire on his own island somewhere. "Dreamville" is a perfect example. It's a beautiful song that begins with its narrator walking down to the music store to buy a new set of guitar strings.
Petty fans attending Friday's concert can expect to hear more than a few songs from "The Last DJ" but also a good selection of Petty classics.
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