Please welcome our newest writer to the Boomstick Staff, Jonathon Kimbrell. Not only is Jon a writer, but he is also an amazing artist with his work shown around the world. He is the next Warhol. See his work HERE. His favorite films are that of the blaxploitation kind and his musical tastes fall in the Sheryl Crowish, Pre-LA Law, Post Partridge Family, Susan Day kinda thing. He went to the Tom Petty show last night in Dallas and here is what he had to say about it.
“Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Bring Their ‘Mojo’ to Dallas”
The first thing you may be asking yourself as you begin to read this review is “What in the heck does Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers have to do with comics?” The answer is absolutely nothing, but if you are a real comics fan, chances are you love music and entertainment just the same. However, I’m sure that little ol’ band from Los Angeles read a few comics in their day. So there…
After 30+ years of being in the music business it is still very apparent that Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers still have ‘Mojo’, as it’s well proven on their latest LP of the same name.
Tom Petty and the boys made their rescheduled stop in Dallas last night to a nearly packed house at the Superpages.com pavilion, and brought with them lovely weather, their classic tunes, and believe it or not, a full moon for their fans. Originally, this show was slated for May 2010 with supporting act, Joe Cocker, but was rescheduled due to previous scheduling conflicts. Since Joe Cocker couldn’t make the rescheduled tour stop, TP enlisted the services of Texas’ favorite sons, ZZ Top, to kick off a wonderful night of live music. Growing up as a child of the 1980s and the MTV generation, hearing ZZ Top perform radio gems like “Sharp Dressed Man”, “Tush”, and ” Legs”, I had the pleasure of reliving those moments of watching MTV 24/7, in hopes of catching another video featuring hot chicks in tight spandex. (Btw, what the hell ever happened to MTV?) In addition to ZZ Top classics and a few nuggets for the hard-core fans, the crowd was also treated to a special rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s cover of “Hey Joe”, celebrating the life Hendrix left 40 years ago (September 18th). I could see why, after hearing that performance, why Hendrix considered Billy Gibbons his favorite guitarist of all time.
Of course, The Heartbreakers would not be outdone. It’s always a great guessing game as to what song The Heartbreakers will open up with. Typically, the last few times I’ve seen them live it’s been a track off “Wildflowers”, but last night’s opener was a surprise with “Listen To Her Heart” in all of its Rickenbacker-toned glory. The show continued with Heartbreaker hits, like “Won’t Back Down”, “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”, “Refugee” and an all-time favorite of mine, “Learning To Fly” featuring Tom on a black acoustic that could have come from Johnny Cash’s personal collection. Fast forward to the real goods I was anxious to hear: live cuts from “Mojo”. They tore through a blistering mini set of “Jefferson Jericho Blues” (with Scott Thurston on harmonica that would make blues harmonica legend Little Walter sweat in excitement), “Running Man’s Bible” and album closer “Good Enough”, that showcased the absolute best guitar playing I’ve ever heard from lead guitarist (and credited co-captain of the band) Mike Campbell in the many years I’ve been listening to The Heartbreakers. That live performance alone could have been the show closer, but no Heartbreakers gig would be complete without encore performances of “Running Down A Dream” and “American Girl”, which was much more stripped down instrumentally that what you are used to hearing on the radio.
After two hours of performing just a sliver of their 30 some odd years worth of sing-a-long worthy hits, a show that was shorter than their usual live performances, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers gave Dallas another memorable evening of live grooves, proving once more they are America’s Greatest Rock n’ Roll Band, and that their ‘mojo’ is here to stay.
Jonathon Kimbrell,
Artist & Writer
22 September 2010