It was about time I got back into the summer concert swing. I've watched a few good shows come and go this summer, failing to get tickets due to my busy work schedule. But, tonight I was going to Tom Petty and Robin Leach was going to double his concert attending statistics. Why do I keep dating guys who fail to appreciate live music??? Apparently we weren't the only ones who had tonight's concert in mind - the lawn was nearly to capacity and I keep looking back on those poor souls wondering why anyone buys lawn tickets. Ironically, we ran into The Chin, who happened to be sitting a few seats down from us.
The opening act was Trey Anastasio, lead singer/guitarist of Phish. Phish was one of those bands that was popular in college, but one that I never really got into. Perhaps it was because I wasn't from the Northeast where they seem to be the most popular. My college friends followed them across the country, frequently going to places like Vermont to catch them in concert. Anyway, the opener was actually good. I didn't recognize any of the songs, but the jam sessions on guitar was great. Perhaps I will have to download some Phish tunes to see what I have been missing.
Tom Petty entered the stage rocking. The repertoire for the evening consisted of most of his popular songs - Learning to Fly, Mary Jane's Last Dance, Refugee, Free Fallin', etc. All were songs that I had grown up with and loved. They also played a few songs from the new album, Highway Companion. Perhaps my favorite and the best known song off that album is Square One, which is also on the Elizabethtown Soundtrack. He's quite the stage performer, which was unexpected because he always appears about half stoned.
Here are a few photos from the concert:
About half way through the show, Tom Petty thanked the fans and thanked those friends that he had made along the way. "But," he said, "there is only one little sister and that is Stevie Nicks." Out comes Stevie, dressed in her usual black dress and boots, to sing a few duets. I had seen her previously at Smirnoff when Fleetwood Mac toured a few years ago and boy is she as cool as ever.
The ending song, guessed correctly by me and incorrectly by Robin, was American Girl. Overall, for a bunch of aging rockers, these guys aren't half bad. I had a feeling this was going to be a good show when I bought the tickets back in May, and I was right. The tour continues, including a block of openers from Pearl Jam and The Allman Brothers, so check them out if they come to a town near you.
As mentioned above, the summer concert tour is back on my agenda.
Next concert: Dave Matthews on 8-19 with front center tickets compliment of The Dude.
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