Tag Archives: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Jul 08

Photo-A-Day 2013: Week 23

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The week of June 3-9 saw a good mix of some relaxing evenings at home and some great events around the city, including a fantastic Tom Petty show, playoff hockey and my first glimpse of a Dodger rookie sensation out at the Stadium. Let’s take a look at the images!

3-JUN-2013: Oh, my Maker's Mark. What a lovely shade of brown you are.

3-JUN-2013: Oh, my Maker’s Mark. What a lovely shade of brown you are.

4-JUN-2013: What a great night in Hollywood.

4-JUN-2013: What a great night in Hollywood.

5-JUN-2013: The brightness of the lemons against the pattern of the plate made for an interesting image.

5-JUN-2013: The brightness of the lemons against the pattern of the plate made for an interesting image.

6-JUN-2013: Last season's Cup champs against the eventual '13 champs. Kings vs. Hawks in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

6-JUN-2013: Last season’s Cup champs against the eventual ’13 champs. Kings vs. Hawks in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

7-JUN-2013: The light of the sunset and the outline of another building reflected in the glass of the 444 Flower building in DTLA.

7-JUN-2013: The light of the sunset and the outline of another building reflected in the glass of the 444 Flower building in DTLA.

8-JUN-2013: It's hard to find a better burger-and-a-beer bar in LA than Hinano Cafe.

8-JUN-2013: It’s hard to find a better burger-and-a-beer bar in LA than Hinano.

9-JUN-2013: My first in-person taste of the phenom. Yasiel Puig would turn this pitch into a 1st inning single.

9-JUN-2013: My first in-person taste of the phenom. Yasiel Puig would turn this pitch into a 1st inning single.

Jun 18

Tom Petty Concert Recap: Fonda Theater 6/4/13

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Click the image to watch American Girl live from the Fonda Theater on June 4.

Click the image to watch “American Girl” live from the Fonda Theater on June 4.

Two weeks ago tonight brought an opportunity that I was so excited to jump on the moment I heard about it a few days before the ticket on-sale date a few months back: seeing the legendary Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers at the intimate Fonda Theater on Hollywood Blvd. Tuesday was the second of six sold-out shows for Petty and crew, just a couple weeks after knocking out five sold-out gigs at New York’s Beacon Theater.

Suffice it to say, the show didn’t disappoint, as Petty and his venerable band mates crushed a 22-song set that featured a number of familiar classics, some powerful deep album cuts and a few enjoyable covers thrown in for good measure.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Fonda Theater, Hollywood, June 4, 2013

  • So You Want To Be A Rock & Roll Star: A nice emotional start, what with this being the band’s leadoff song the very first time I saw them back in the mid-80s. Plus, the Byrds’ cover always has a special resonance in L.A.
  • Love Is A Long Road: A solid, well-worn rocker from “Full Moon Fever,” I’ve always felt this song was one that didn’t perhaps receive all the credit it deserves. A rocking version here tonight.
  • Here Comes My Girl: Special. Its first appearance in the setlist on this tour, I believe. One of my all-time favorite Petty songs and it holds some amazing memories. Great to share it on this night.
  • Baby Please Don’t Go: The great blues classic from Big Joe Williams, played in the vein of the song’s most famous rock version, by Van Morrison and Them. The Heartbreakers — and especially Mike Campbell — really got to stretch it out on this one. Perfect.
  • When A Kid Goes Bad: A deep cut from “The Last DJ” (2002), this is such a great sample of the funky, bluesy side of the band.
  • The Best Of Everything: I’m pretty much always up for anything from the “Southern Accents” record, and this one was fantastic on this night. A kind wish to a lost lover wrapped inside a “what might have been” story, it’s a perfect example of the Petty and the Heartbreakers’ style of balladry.
  • I Just Want To Make Love To You: More bluesy goodness in this excellent cover of the Muddy Waters classic.
  • A Woman In Love (It’s Not Me): It’s interesting that this song shows up in the same setlist as “Love Is A Long Road.” They both fit in that same “underrated rocker” category among Petty’s catalog. People really love the Heartbreakers’ trademark “jangle” — and rightfully so — but the band knows how to play with a damn edge too.
  • Kings Highway: Another big highlight for me. From “Into The Great Wide Open,” this song has long spoken directly to me thanks to where I was as a person when it first entered my consciousness. And now, after a long ride, where it feels I may have (in recent years) finally turned on to this tune’s title road, it’s even a bit more enjoyable.
  • I’d Like To Love You Baby: The band is in love with J.J. Cale covers on this tour, and this one — though a bit down for where it fell in the flow of the show — was another opportunity for the band to show off its musicianship.
  • Tweeter And The Monkey Man: One of the deeper cuts on the first Traveling Wilburys album, this has always been a personal favorite. Penned by Bob Dylan, with a great deal of assistance by Petty, the song is really an homage to the lyrical stylings of Bruce Springsteen. On this night, the real showcase here was Campbell and Petty trading licks on one of the dozens of guitars used during the show — really mesmerizing work by both.
  • Rebels: Another “Southern Accents” favorite, this acoustic version really plays up the power of the lyrics. Fantastic.
  • Two Gunslingers: Continuing the acoustic break, this cut from “Into The Great Wide Open,” while not overly well known, is a Petty favorite and fit well right here.
  • Time To Move On: The first of two cuts tonight from my favorite Petty record, “Wildflowers.” This song has meant so many different things over the years, depending on my station in life. Tonight’s gorgeous version pointed that out rather well.
  • Friend Of The Devil: I’m not quite sure how many bands I’ve seen cover this song, but tonight’s version was right up there among the best. I’m not the world’s biggest Dead fan, but this one has always been a favorite of sorts. The Heartbreakers are very familiar with it, and this version showed off their comfort level.
  • It’s Good To Be King: There’s not really a better way to describe this performance than the Tweet I sent an old friend on the night of the show: Perfect Song? Yes.
  • I Should Have Known It: This cut from the band’s most recent studio album, “Mojo,” rocked just right in this transitional spot. Underrated track, great placement in the setlist.
  • Refugee: Singalong? Ok. Singalong!
  • Runnin’ Down A Dream: The crowd certainly jumped right on into this one as well. For me, it’s been a bit of an up-and-down run for this song, which at times gets a little worn out. But it was hard to argue with it on this night.

******

  • Listen To Her Heart: Right up there with “Here Comes My Girl” earlier in the setlist. It was a special treat to hear this personal favorite dropped — from among many legendary options — into this crucial encore kickoff spot.
  • Carol: The Heartbreakers love this classic Chuck Berry rocker and its playfulness fit right in tonight.
  • American Girl: “We’ll finish up … where we started out.” Oh yeah! All right! Here’s the iPhone video I shot of the performance: American Girl — Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (live)

Follow this link to a Spotify playlist I created from live and studio cuts of the evening’s setlist here: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Fonda Theater 6/4/13 Setlist

May 12

#LOTD2013: April Playlist

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LOTD AprilIn a much more timely fashion, here is the April recap of my Lyric-of-the-Day (#LOTD2013) project!

As usual, here’s the list of the month’s Tweets with some brief explanations (in italics) for a number of the lyrics. Find the Spotify playlist I’ve created from these lyrics linked at the end of the post or on the clickable image at right. Remember, if you want to see the lyrics as they pop up daily, just give me a follow on Twitter!

  • It’s #LOTD2013 catch-up day: “Heaven is the whole of the heart/Paradise is by the dashboard light” #TheHoldSteady “We Can Get Together” 4/1 (With Response Expo April 1-4, I don’t think I started Tweeting until April 5, catching up for missed days. Think of this – “We Can Get Together” – as an invitation to those heading to San Diego for the event)
  • “Here everybody has a neighbor/Everybody has a friend/Everybody has a reason to begin again” #BruceSpringsteen “Long Walk Home” #LOTD2013 4/2
  • “The time to rise has been engaged/You’re better best to rearrange/I’m talking here to me alone” #REM “Finest Worksong” #LOTD2013 4/3
  • “Cold coolin at a bar/Lookin for some action/But like Mick Jagger said/I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” #ToneLoc “Funky Cold Medina” #LOTD2013 4/4 (The Expo’s closing night party was a mini-flashback to my senior year of high school, with Loc putting on a great half-hour for all of our attendees.)
  • “It’s all right, doing the best you can/Well it’s all right, as long as you lend a hand” #TravelingWilburys “End Of The Line” #LOTD2013 4/5
  • “Could’ve been a lame jogger maybe/Or someone just about to do the freeway strangler, baby” #MissingPersons “Walking In L.A.” #LOTD2013 4/6 (Back in L.A., finally, after a long week in San Diego.)
  • “Forever we’d be free/Free to spend our whole lives running/From people who would be…” “The Death Of You & Me”#NoelGallagher #LOTD2013 4/7
  • “Do you see my smoking guns?/They’re smoking from a shootin’/Smokin’ from shootin'” #MyMorningJacket “Smokin’ From Shootin'” #LOTD2013 4/8
  • “I think I found my place/Can’t you feel it growing stronger?/Little conquerors” #FooFighters “Walk” #LOTD2013 4/9
  • “I rope-a-dope the evil with righteous/Bobbin’ and weavin’ & let the good get even” #PublicEnemy “Welcome To The Terrordome” #LOTD2013 4/10 (April 10 was the 23rd anniversary of the release of PE’s classic “Fear Of A Black Planet.”)
  • “I’ll shout and scream/I’ll kill the king/I’ll rail at all his servants” #RollingStones “Street Fighting Man” #LOTD2013 4/11
  • “What you wanted to see good/Has made you blind/What you wanted to be yours/Has made it mine”#Soundgarden “Fell On Black Days”#LOTD2013 4/12
  • “No good for nothin else/If you like to drink your whiskey/You might even shoot yourself” #Skynyrd “Saturday Night Special” #LOTD2013 4/13 (I imagine many current-day Skynyrd fans would be surprised by the rather, ahem, “liberal” message behind this song.)
  • “We ran til the gas got low/We were flyin close to heaven/Everything’s startin to glow” #TomPetty “The Trip to Pirate’s Cove” #LOTD2013 4/14
  • “Ya down by the river/Down by the banks of the river Charles/That’s what’s happenin baby” #TheStandells “Dirty Water” #LOTD2013 4/15 #Boston (Boston Marathon bombing. Enough said.)
  • “Now this looks like a job for me/So everybody just follow me/’Cause we need a little controversy” #Eminem “Without Me” #LOTD2013 4/16
  • “Will the wind ever remember/The names it has blown in the past?” #JimiHendrix “The Wind Cries Mary” #LOTD2013 4/17
  • “Oh this desert life/This high life/Here at the dying end of the day/I wasn’t made for this scene” #CountingCrows “High Life” #LOTD2013 4/18 (Arrival night in the low desert for Coachella 2013.)
  • “And when she lets me slip away/She turns me on/All my violence is gone/Nothing is wrong” #Blur “Beetlebum” #LOTD2013 4/19 #Coachella (A great set from Blur, with the surprisingly rocking version of “Beetlebum” as one of the highlights.)
  • “Here are all one & our hearts are true/The towers on the heights reach the heavens’ own blue” #DropkickMurphys “For Boston” #LOTD2013 4/20 (The Murphys’ emotional set, their first since Monday’s Boston tragedy, began powerfully with the raising of the Boston city flag.)
  • “The sun may rise in the east/At least it settles in the final location” #RedHotChiliPeppers “Californication” #LOTD2013 4/21 #Coachella (My favorite line in this song. Hard not to feel some home state goosebumps during this performance.)
  • “If that’s all that takes my sense/I’d catch it on a breeze and fill my lungs” #AlexClare “Where Is The Heart” #LOTD2013 4/22
  • “So many people to see/So many people you can check up on/And add to your collection” #ElvisCostello “Accidents Will Happen” #LOTD2013 4/23
  • “Oh, lovely Rita meter maid/Where would I be without you?/Give us a wink and make me think of you” #TheBeatles “Lovely Rita” #LOTD2013 4/24
  • “I’m throwing the childhood scenes away/I’m thru ripping myself off/Done ripping myself off” #Raconteurs “Broken Boy Soldier” #LOTD2013 4/25
  • “If you’re lonely/You know I’m here waiting for you/Just a crosshair/Just a shot away from you” #FranzFerdinand “Take Me Out” #LOTD2013 4/26 (Just thinking back to Franz Ferdinand’s very satisyfying Coachella set the previous weekend.)
  • “We keep it beaming like a beacon/If it’s clearance that you’re seeking” #Jurassic5 “Quality Control” #LOTD2013 4/27
  • “There’s alot of honey in this world/Baby, this honey’s for me/You’ve got to do what you do/Do it with me” #REM “Me In Honey” #LOTD2013 4/28
  • “She stirs the ice in her glass with her elegant finger/I wanna be what she’s drinking” #JohnMellencamp “Key West Intermezzo” #LOTD2013 4/29
  • “And you thought that we were faking/That we were all just money making/You do not believe we’re for real” #SexPistols “EMI” #LOTD2013 4/30

Here’s the Spotify playlist if you’d like to listen along: #LOTD2013: April