Thursday, August 26, 2010

Concert Review: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Crosby, Stills & Nash - Air Canada Centre - Toronto, ON


Like a fine wine, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers seem to get better with age.  Last night at the ACC, Mr. Petty and his ensemble brought their Floridian brand of Rock N' Roll north of the border and did not disappoint the sold out crowd on hand.  Opening the show with a blast from the past, "Listen to Her Heart", they quickly set the hook and jumped right back to the 90's with a few timeless classics - not to mention a great rendition of Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well".  A nice surprise was a trip back 'into the great wide open', in the form of "King's Highway".

The band dedicated a small block of the show to their new album, "Mojo" - notables were the bluesy "Good Enough" and "I Should Have Known It", which (especially live) has a Zeppelin feel to it.  The balance of the show was filled with more Petty classics, highlighted by the always popular "Don't Come Around Here No More".

On a personal note, I have seen Petty eight or nine times over the years, beginning with the Strange Behavior (Full Moon Fever) tour at Kingswood Music Theater in 1989.  I must say that each time I see him; the bar seems to be set higher.  He knows what his fans want and delivers every time, on point. I enjoyed last night's show thoroughly.

Honorable mention goes to Crosby, Stills & Nash who opened up the show.  I was glad I got a chance to see them.  They were very entertaining and Stephen Stills was in fine form on the lead guitar, but there were some off-key harmonies and missed notes when it came to the vocals.  The energy they generated made up for the errors and the crowd was definitely on their side.

Rating A

Tom Petty - Toronto Set List

Listen to Her Heart
You Don't Know How It Feels
I Won't Back Down
Free Fallin'
Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Mary Jane's Last Dance
Kings Highway
Breakdown
Jefferson Jericho Blues
Good Enough
Running Man's Bible
I Should Have Known It
Learning to Fly
Don't Come Around Here No More
Refugee
ENCORE:
Runnin' Down a Dream
You Wreck Me

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous26.8.10

    This is a great - and more importantly - entirely accurate review. Must admit: I wasn't a fan at the beginning od Tom Petty's career. Over time he has either improved or my music appreciation ability has increased. At any rate, his music last night was definitely worth the price of admission.

    I was briefly worried that Crosby Stills and Nash had jumped the shark. Until Crosby started belting out a few songs, and hitting - and holding - some high notes.

    Great review! Feels a bit cathartic, being able to read this and virtually relive the concertt.

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