Artist: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Venue: Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles
Date: June 3
Tom Petty’s vault excavation project opened in Los Angeles following a four-night run in New York. In the first of six L.A. shows, Petty and the Heartbreakers delivered on their promise to emphasize album tracks over hits. The 20-song set included seven Heartbreakers classics, three covers, two assertive blues jams from 2010’s “Mojo” and a spacey extension of the Traveling Wilburys’ “Tweeter and the Monkey Man.” Stepping away from the hits-dominated sets of his arena performances, Petty opened the gates for guitarist Mike Campbell to experiment and flourish, enhancing the songs with smart, extended solos. The repertoire reached back to the band’s 1976 debut, rarely played material from 1999’s “Echo” and “Angel Dream” from Petty’s song score for “She’s the One.” Most of the night was set to a steady rock beat–the group opened with the Byrds’ “So You Want to be a Rock ‘N’ Roll Star”–yet included a soft, three-song segment highlighted by a gently cushioned “Rebels.”