When the critic starts pondering a concert’s meaning in the overall context of the modern music business model, and the critic does so right in the middle of the concert, perhaps that’s a sign that the show is not as captivating is it should be. [All photos by Phil Bardi.]
And so it was with me and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers last night at the St. Pete Times Forum. The band delivered a solid show in front of nearly 15,000 adoring fans, but for this critic — who loves the band and can’t quite recall how many times he’s seen them, only that it has to be in double the figures — it elicited more nods of appreciation than genuine enthusiasm and emotional involvement. (Yes, the veteran critic is still capable of getting pretty worked up at a great rock concert.) Perhaps that’s a comment on the critic, but Petty and company usually move me — and last night, well, they didn’t. Not much.
Now regarding that chin-stroking about context and the music biz: There was a time when bands like Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers would tour to promote a new album, play nearly the whole damn thing, and tack on a few catalog hits near the end.
Don’t like it? Fuck you. We’re into playing the new shit.
Petty and the guys have a new album out, Mojo, which is their best in a long, long time. They didn’t pimp it last night. Instead, they performed four songs in a row about two-thirds into the set, with Petty introducing the title to each. (Subtext: Try these songs out; we like ’em; we hope you do to.) For my money — wait, I got in free — it was the best part of the show. The band played “Jefferson Jericho Blues,” “Good Enough,” “Running Man’s Bible” and “I Should Have Known It” with the verve of kids riding a new bicycle found under the Christmas tree. (Had I made the setlist, it would have included “First Flash of Freedom.”)
This article appears in Sep 16-22, 2010.