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All American rock n' roll at its finest, paired
with some serious blue-eyed soul

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers/ Steve Winwood
United Center
Chicago, IL
August 23, 2014
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Story and photos by Andy Argyrakis

For the first time in its 60 million album selling career that dates back to 1976, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers landed at the top of the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart with the extraordinary, return-to-form project "Hypnotic Eye" (Reprise Records). Not only does it recall the group's earliest origins of tightly wound, frenetic rock n' roll, but it's an authentic breath of fresh air that's rising above the rest during an era of increased disposability and blatant commercialism.

Perhaps much of Petty and company's longevity can be credited to always marching to their own drum, which continued to manifest itself on stage at yet another sold out United Center performance as the best of the current collection intersected with chestnuts from yesteryear that went far beyond the most obvious. Kicking off with a jangly jam through The Byrds' "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star" established the tone for the group's own harmonica-doused oldie "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and the retro rock revivalism of the "American Dream Plan B," which could've easily been recorded at any point in the Heartbreakers' tenure thus far.

No matter the tune or the era from which it came, Petty and his cohorts sounded nothing short of timeless, cranking through the jittery "Forgotten Man," the sturdy pop of "I Won't Back Down," the sweltering "A Woman In Love (It's Not Me)" and the southern-stamped "Rebels." Indeed, a simple scan of two hour set list showed the 63-year-old blowing the cobwebs off some truly deserving album tracks in between the regularly scheduled programming, looking like he was having a lot more fun playing "Yer So Bad" than "Free Fallin'" for the billionth time.

A little later, the bluesy new cut "I Should Have Known It" helped loosen up the band for more spontaneous treatments of staples like "Refugee" and "Runnin' Down A Dream," while the encore also keyed into aggressive anthems like "You Wreck Me" and "American Girl." In fact, everything during that home stretch seemed stocked with some extra adrenaline that can only come from an adoring, all-ages audience, who after nearly four decades of support, still scored the privilege of seeing the band at the top of its game.

Special guest Steve Winwood also shined as he breezed through membership in several supergroups, plus a singular nod to an even more successful solo career, each with his instantly identifiable blue-eyed soul vocals firmly in tact. Extended versions of the Spencer Davis Group's "I'm A Man," Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home," his own "Higher Love" and Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy" didn't just compliment Petty and the Heartbreakers' enduring power, but will go down in the history books as some of rock n' soul's finest.

Related articles:

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers / Drive-By Truckers - Photo gallery - Milwaukee, WI - July 2010
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Summerfest) - Photo gallery - Milwaukee, WI - July 2010
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Summerfest) - Photo gallery - Milwaukee, WI - June 2008
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers / The Strokes - Concert review - Chicago, IL - Sept. 2006
Tom Petty / Pearl Jam - Concert review - Milwaukee, WI - July 2006
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers / The Black Crowes - Concert review - Milwaukee, WI - July 2005
Tom Petty / Jackson Browne - Concert review - Chicago, IL - Dec. 2002
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Concert review - Milwaukee, WI - June 2002
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers/Jackson Browne - Concert review - Milwaukee, WI - July 2001
Tom Petty - Concert review - Milwaukee, WI - July 1999
Rod Stewart / Steve Winwood - Concert review - Chicago, Il Oct. 2013
Steve Winwood - Concert review - Chicago, Il May 2012
Steve Winwood (Summerfest 2008) - Milwaukee, WI July 2008

Steve Winwood
Stewe Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stewe Winwood
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Steve Winwood
Stewe Winwood
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Steve Winwood
Stewe Winwood
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

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