NASHVILLE |FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/LATHUM NELSON
TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS
TO RELEASE ‘LAST DJ LIVE AT THE OLYMPIC’ DVD SEPTEMBER 16,
PACKAGED WITH SPECIAL LIVE ‘BAD GIRL BOOGIE’ AUDIO CD
TOM PETTY and the HEARTBREAKERS will release THE LAST DJ LIVE AT THE OLYMPIC DVD (Warner Bros) September 16, packaged with the special bonus live BAD GIRL BOOGIE audio CD. The DVD was filmed October 16, 2002 at the final show of an acclaimed, two-night sold-out engagement at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles where the band performed in sequence all the songs from The Last DJ album. The DVD was directed by Martyn Atkins, andsome of the songs feature the group backed by a 40-piece orchestra that was conducted by Jon Brion.
Before its in-store release, most of THE LAST DJ LIVE AT THE OLYMPIC can be viewed Thursday, September 4 on the PBS acclaimed live performance series “Soundstage.” This will, in fact, mark TOM PETTY and the HEARTBREAKERS’ third “Soundstage” show this summer. The band re-launched the program this past July with two back-to-back airings taped at the show’s Chicago studio in April.
THE LAST DJ LIVE AT THE OLYMPIC DVD contains performances of the encore songs not appearing on the PBS special. They are: “I Need To Know,“ “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” “Change of Heart,” and “You Wreck Me,” along with covers of “Shake Rattle And Roll” and “Around And Around.” Fans will also find TOM PETTY’s “Fun In The Desert” outtakes, commercials and weblinks.
The package’s accompanying BAD GIRL BOOGIE audio CD consists of four live covers: The Animals’ “I’m Crying,” Chuck Berry’s “Carol,” Elmore James’ “Done Somebody Wrong” and Ray Charles’ “I Got A Woman.” These songs were taken from TOM PETTY and the HEARTBREAKERS’ Chicago “Soundstage” performance.
TOM PETTY and the HEARTBREAKERS–MIKE CAMPBELL (guitars), BENMONT TENCH (keyboards), RON BLAIR (bass), SCOTT THURSTON (guitars, harmonica, backing vocals) and STEVE FERRONE (drums)—recently completed the second leg of their summer concert tour which included two special co-headlining shows with Bob Dylan at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ.
Here are critical soundbites from the Last DJ Live At The Olympic engagement:
“Live, it became bracingly clear that beyond The Last DJ’s lyrical bite in taking on corporate greed, it marks a major musical statement for Petty and company. First and foremost, the gorgeously graceful guitar sound of Mike Campbell was infused with a new bluesy kick in the ass…Original bassist Ron Blair was back in the fold, and with Petty stepping up for a few guitar tours of duty, the Heartbreakers regained their classic rock sound…The orchestra—conducted by the gifted Jon Brion—brought a big touch of class to the new tracks, shining particularly on ‘Money Becomes King,’ ‘Dreamville’ and ‘Like A Diamond,’ which Petty rightly spotlighted as one of his personal-best compositions…when most of his musical contemporaries have settled into being nostalgia acts, Petty has taken bold steps to make sure he is heard in the present tense.”
David Wild, Rolling Stone (10/25/03)
“…Petty instills a real sense of betrayal into his narratives, making palpable the sense that something precious has indeed been lost…(the band) moved from swirling folk-rock to arena-rock detonations with deceptive ease.”
Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times (10/17/02)
“(The Last DJ) is one of the group’s great achievements, including more than a few instant classics, ‘Have Love Will Travel’ topping the list.”
Ben Wener, Orange County Register (10/17/02)
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