The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 21, 1995, Page 6, Image 6
6
Petty
packs
Pavilion
STEPHEN BURRfTT Staff Writer
WENDY HUDSON News Editor
The waiting was the hardest part.
But somehow, when you're waiting
for a rock 'n' roll legend such as Tom ?Petty
to take the stage, you don't mind
the wait. Last Friday's sell-out crowd
at Charlotte's Blockbuster Pavilion
didn't seem to mind a bit.
Petty and his Heartbreakers were
back on the road, promoting his new
disc, "Wildflowers," and showing the
blood is still pumping in the band Using
few theatrics but plenty of scathing
guitar duets, the band recharged a few
old favorites and gave first tastes of
the live versions of new favorites.
Petty went with simple staging, a
Gothic look featuring a fluctuating
white drape in the back and some scatter^
randftlabras as if the hieh-tech
lighting wasn't enough. This show was
about substance, not style.
He wasted no time diving into his
biggest recent hit, "You Don't Know
How It Feels," but the first true musical
highlight came from a severalminute
jam during "Last Dance with
Mary Jane." Petty and Heartbreaker
Mike Campbell let loose on the first
of many inspired guitar duets with a
ferocity that made you think the guitars
would catch on fire at any moment.
Petty used a well-timed middle segment
of softer numbers to let the crowd
kick back. Petty "unplugged" himself,
and drummer Steve Ferrone stepped
away from the drum set and in front
of a simpler percussion set-up. A piano-led
version of "Learning to Fly"
was the highlight, a sharp variation
of the album version but true to the
feel of the song. If only every artist
could find such creativity in their live
sets, concerts would always be worth
the substantial ticket price.
Unfortunately, the softer segment
had little else to offer. He did little
with most of the songs, leaving them
tnn rJnfip to album recordings and falling
short of past live performances on hits
such as "The Waiting."
When Petty turned the juice on
again, it was back to more energized
classics for the last part of the set
straight through to the first well-deserved
encore. The tag-team guitars
wailed on "You Wreck Me" and "Honeybee,"
making Petty look young again
with the love of being on the stage. After
a dizzying rendition of "American
Girl," Petty sent the crowd home with
a soft farewell ballad, then took his
well-deserved bows.
Petty's music-first, effects-second
show was a nice change to over-glitzed
concert tours, but actually suffered a
bit in its simplicity. It left Petty as the
visual center, and even walking to the
edge of the crowd and lifting your guitar
while playing can get repetitious
unless you're in row A or B.
The point was, however, that Petty
has years worth of great songs, and
he can still play them with as much
enthusiasm as ever, and everyone at
Blockbuster got the point.
With
His Talent...
Think What
He Might Have
Accomplished
If He Had Been
In Co-op.
FOR DETAILS
CONTACT:
The Student Employment
Center
USC Career Center
6th Floor B.A. Bldg.
or call 777-2124
The Gamecock ^ETGb
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