NASHVILLE |FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/AMANDA CAGAN/ LATHUM NELSON
THE SEVEN DAYS THAT ROCKED SAN FRANCISCO:
TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS CONCLUDE SEVEN SOLD-OUT SHOWS AT THE
FILLMORE IN ADVANCE OF THE APRIL 13 RELEASE OF THEIR `ECHO’ ALBUM
Courtney Love, Brian May of Queen, Steve Miller, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Waits and the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir were among the musicians who turned out for TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS‘ seven-show rock and roll jamboree at the historic Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco (March 7-16). It marked their triumphant return to the 1200-capacity venue where they played 20 precedent-setting shows in 1997.
On the final two nights, the truly legendary Bo Diddley (who opened the shows) joined PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS onstage for rave-ups on such Diddley classics as “Mona” and “Diddy Wah Diddy.” Throughout the run, PETTYthanked the audience for allowing him and THE HEARTBREAKERS—MIKE CAMPBELL (guitars), HOWIE EPSTEIN (bass, vocals) and BENMONT TENCH (keyboards) with longtime associates SCOTT THURSTON (guitars, harmonica) and drummer STEVE FERRONE–to be “the house band at the Fillmore.” They played shows that often lasted beyond two and a half hours, with diverse, alternating set lists that included such cover songs as “The Letter,” “Gloria,” “Telstar,” “Around and Around” and “Call Me The Breeze.” There were forays into blues, surf, a little country and garage rock alongside the band’s own gems, plus new songs–including “Room At The Top,” “Swingin'” and the current top five radio track “Free Girl Now”–from their upcoming ECHO album, due April 13 on Warner Bros. The final two concerts were taped for a television special (details TBA).
Writing in USA Today about the opening night show, writer Jaan Uhelszki noted that the new songs “revealed PETTY as a still-vital songwriting force, not an artist content to rest on past glories.” Elsewhere, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Neva Chonin noted: “PETTY also gave a crash course in rock `n’ roll history. After opening with Chuck Berry’s `Around and Around,’ he went on to scatter other classic R&B and rockabilly samplings through the set, from Bo Diddley’s `Diddy Wah Diddy’ to a note-perfect rendition of the vintage instrumental `Telstar.'” Chonin added: “The band members were as ebullient as their fans, trading quips and guitar licks, chatting and improvising. No pretense of cool here.”
A highlight of some shows was an acoustic set featuring “Even The Losers” and “American Girl.” PETTY and the band also electrified the crowd with “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” “You Wreck Me,” a stripped-down “I Won’t Back Down” and their early nugget “Listen To Her Heart.” Commenting about the group’s longevity, the San Francisco Examiner’s Philip Elwood said: “PETTY‘s music over the years has shown an integrity virtually unmatched on the rock scene. His band, with him for more than two decades, is the best in the business of traditional, hard-core rock, in large measure because they’ve stayed together and thus play (magnificently) together.”
Beyond Bo Diddley, such artists as War, Taj Mahal and Lucinda Williams each opened various shows at the Fillmore. For opening night, PETTY came onstage to introduce his opening act for this show–Lucinda–by calling her “one of our absolute favorite songwriters in the world.” In the midst of her set, Lucinda (who had been in San Francisco playing her own shows) said, “TOM asked us to come down and play…couldn’t pass it up.”
In an interview in the March 5 San Francisco Chronicle, PETTY said the following about the band’s residency at the Fillmore: “I’ve always felt that San Francisco has a very open-minded audience. I thought they’d be more open to us performing as a house band rather than doing a medley of our hits.” He went on to tell writer James Sullivan in the piece: “We’ve been very blessed with a loyal audience. We just try to stay honest with them…We’ve never particularly tried to get into a suit of clothes.” PETTY added that the `97 Fillmore shows “really played a huge part in inspiring us–not just to do the record (Echo), but to carry on.”
Next, the band have scheduled an April 10 Saturday Night Live appearance, to be followed by an April 13 Letterman slot. TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS‘ fans can expect a massive summer concert tour to roll out in mid-June (dates TBA).
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