Monday, August 29, 2005
A Petty Heartbreaker
The quintessential American rock ‘n roll band. That’s what I would call Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I was lucky enough to have tickets to their show on Saturday night at the Greek Theater, a 102-year old classical amphitheater on the University of California Berkeley campus. Walking up the road to the entrance, I ran a gauntlet of people asking to buy tickets to this sold-out concert. By the time I got into the theater, the opening band, the Black Crowes, was already playing its first song. For the next hour or so, they played a high energy set of gospel- or soul-flavored rock. The crowd seemed to like the Black Crowes, but their music did not appeal to me. I was there for the main act.
After a 50-minute wait, during which the crew rearranged the stage and repeatedly tested the equipment, the crowd was getting restless. But once Tom Petty and his band appeared, the music was worth the wait. They were on stage about two hours, playing many of my favorites–-Refugee, I Won’t Back Down, Free Falling, Mary Jane’s Last Dance, American Girl, etc. During the whole set, the sound was tight and perfectly blended, with superb musicianship. The songs generally sounded as good or better than the CD. And the light show that accompanied the music was spectacular. It resembled a huge mosaic on the screen behind the stage, with geometric scenes that varied from bright lights to close-ups of the band members playing and singing.
The crowd, which must have totaled about 10,000, was energized the entire time. Many stood up dancing the whole time. During certain songs, the audience sang along loudly, obviously knowing and loving the lyrics. I had a great view from my seat. It was near the center about half way back in the theater–-close enough to see the band clearly but far enough to not be deafened by the music. The acoustics and sight lines in the Greek Theater are hard to beat.
This show probably will be my musical highpoint for this year, but I also have tickets for the Green Day concert in September. Green Day just got a bunch of awards at the the MTV Video Music Awards, so they should be pretty hot. It will be interesting to compare the sound of Green Day’s modern punk with Tom Petty’s classic rock ‘n roll.
When I go to HK next year, I would love to see a Cantopop concert. It will be interesting to see what acts will be playing when I am in town and how difficult it would be to get tickets. ¶ 8:37 PM
After a 50-minute wait, during which the crew rearranged the stage and repeatedly tested the equipment, the crowd was getting restless. But once Tom Petty and his band appeared, the music was worth the wait. They were on stage about two hours, playing many of my favorites–-Refugee, I Won’t Back Down, Free Falling, Mary Jane’s Last Dance, American Girl, etc. During the whole set, the sound was tight and perfectly blended, with superb musicianship. The songs generally sounded as good or better than the CD. And the light show that accompanied the music was spectacular. It resembled a huge mosaic on the screen behind the stage, with geometric scenes that varied from bright lights to close-ups of the band members playing and singing.
The crowd, which must have totaled about 10,000, was energized the entire time. Many stood up dancing the whole time. During certain songs, the audience sang along loudly, obviously knowing and loving the lyrics. I had a great view from my seat. It was near the center about half way back in the theater–-close enough to see the band clearly but far enough to not be deafened by the music. The acoustics and sight lines in the Greek Theater are hard to beat.
This show probably will be my musical highpoint for this year, but I also have tickets for the Green Day concert in September. Green Day just got a bunch of awards at the the MTV Video Music Awards, so they should be pretty hot. It will be interesting to compare the sound of Green Day’s modern punk with Tom Petty’s classic rock ‘n roll.
When I go to HK next year, I would love to see a Cantopop concert. It will be interesting to see what acts will be playing when I am in town and how difficult it would be to get tickets. ¶ 8:37 PM
