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Forty years of American rock n' roll at its finest

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers/ Joe Walsh
State Farm Center
Champaign, IL
May 10, 2017

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Joe Walsh

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Story and photos by Andy Argyrakis

Though not typically ones for nostalgia, 2017 marks the 40th anniversary of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, so it's only fitting that the troupe's latest tour is taking a look back. Perhaps their fearless leader said it best at a jam-packed State Farm Center on the University of Illinois campus when he told the all ages audience to imagine the last four decades as one lengthy vinyl record where the group was simply going to drop the needle on different periods.

First up was the relatively rare "Rockin' Around (With You)" from the players' first-ever project, though it was quickly followed with the mega-familiar "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and "You Don't Know How It Feels" (both expanded as blustery jams). The eras continued to blur from the newer yet retro-tinted "Forgotten Man," to the synth-spiked days of "You Got Lucky," alongside the straight-forward but nonetheless joyful sing-a-longs "I Won't Back Down" and "Free Fallin'."

The entrancing "Don't Come Around Here No More" also featured an adrenaline-stacked extension, though a subdued suite from Petty's solo album *Wildflowers* was equally appealing (most notably, the psychedelically-charged "It's Good To Be King"). Even tried and trues such as "Learning To Fly" gained a fresh perspective as a stripped down saunter with its leader cupping his hands over his mouth to create a megaphone-like vocal effect.

The Heartbreakers reached additional strides on the relatively recent militant rocker "I Should Have Known It' and tore through "Refugee" as if it was a torpedo in the process of being damned. Toss in "Runnin' Down A Dream," plus an encore stacked with other riotous regulars, and these veterans didn't just give faithful an extensive overview, but all the substantiation needed as to exactly why they've lasted so long.

Having Joe Walsh along as support was an added bonus and he more than delivered across an hour of solo smashes, an occasional Eagles tune or James Gang flashback. The 69-year-old, a band anchored by double drummers and four background singers barreled through "Meadows," "Take It To The Limit" (in honor of late Eagle Glenn Frey), "In The City" "Funk #49," "Life's Been Good" and "Rocky Mountain Way" (amongst others), all centered around Walsh's fiery guitar chops that could've easily filled a headliner slot.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers appear in Chicago with Chris Stapleton on Thursday, June 29 at Wrigley Field. For additional details, visit www.cubs.com/tompetty.

Up next at the State Farm Center is Alan Jackson with Lee Ann Womack on Saturday, August 26. For additional details, visit www.statefarmcenter.com.