This year the Super Bowl half-time show was as surprising as the score of the game. There were no wild gyrations, wardrobe malfunctions or pronouncements of any kinds. It was just Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers playing great tunes. The audience seemed to appreciate it and did actually sing-along with the “staged” audience - the ones that were trucked in and given light wands to wave for Free Fallin’. For me, it was just great seeing an old friend.
I was a late-comer to listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. When I first heard a cut from Damn the Torpedoes I thought that there was some idiot trying to butcher The Byrds. I was half right. Tom Petty was the ultimate Roger McGuinn fan and later produced McGuinn’s hit single King of the Hill. In addition to his great string of releases in the’80′and ’90’s Petty was one of the founding members of the Traveling Wilburys featuring, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Bob Dylan.
Petty is an original in that he stays true to his rock and political feelings. His great song, The Last DJ, sticks it to the media industry and how big radio has bastardized original thought in music; criticizing it for greed, formula music, and exploiting scantily-clad young women. He actually thought he would get slammed for it but it became a hit, reaching #9. Big media doesn’t care what you say about them as long as you make them money.
So here’s to Tom and his new XM show Buried Treasure in which he showcases his own music collection.
P.S. The reporters said they say an “arrow” shooting toward the stage but I personally thought it was a rendition of a Gibson Flying “V” (or for the “culturally disadvantaged, “like in Guitar Hero”)
Stumble it!