He's been a lot of places. He's danced with Mary Jane. He's passed through sleeping cities. He's made suede fringe and moccasins look cool.
He's Tom Petty, man who runs on along with the Heartbreakers, and there's no telling what's in store for the Alliant Energy Center crowd tonight when all roads lead them into Madison for a night of unadulterated rock on the third leg of the Highway Companion tour.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' self-titled debut, and what better way is there to ring in this benchmark than taking the party to the road on a tour featuring a little old and a little new material, along with some borrowed talent.
The band, which has been runnin' down a dream since 1976, kicked off their star-studded tour — which may be one of their final stands — in early June, selling out venues from Madison Square Garden to their hometown of Gainesville, Fla. The third leg of this summer and fall adventure commenced on Sept. 8 in Toronto with support from the Blind Boys of Alabama, and from the looks of the line-up, they will continue to bring along high talent acts the rest of the way.
Thus far, the Highway Companion Tour has made an "honorary Heartbreaker" out of Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks, and brought Phish frontman Trey Anastasio along on the journey. Leg Three openers include the Black Crowes, the Strokes (who admittedly drew inspiration from Heartbreakers' hit "American Girl" for "Last Nite") and Beck, all of whom will certainly maintain momentum. Portland's own alternative rockers, the Dandy Warhols, will set the mood for Petty and the Heartbreakers during their Madison performance.
Among other crowd favorites, the Highway Companion Tour will also feature a handful of material from Petty's third solo effort of the same name. Released in late July, the album produced by Jeff Lynne and Heartbreaker guitarist Mike Campbell proved that even after a four-year break, Petty still hasn't lost his golden touch. Vocals, guitar, harmonica, bass, electric piano — Petty does it all on this latest effort. He even made his recording debut as a percussionist, manning the drums on all of the recordings.
The 12-track disc, Highway Companion, leads listeners down a long, winding road, as Petty evaluates the aging process and overcoming the uncertainty that lies within his world of ever-fading youth. This theme is hard to miss in the driving tune of the disc's first single "Saving Grace" — especially with lines like "It's hard to say who you are these days, but you run on anyway, don't you?"
In a July interview with Rolling Stone, Petty said the song is somewhat about how he views the public today.
"There are a lot of people who aren't sure who they are anymore, so they're just trying to keep their head above water because things are moving really fast these days. There is a lot of information flying around and a lot of people staring into their palms," he told contributing editor Neil Strauss.
Tracks like "Down South" and "Turn This Car Around" carry on very much in this same fashion, with Petty traveling along a metaphoric road in search of home, sometimes not knowing which path to follow to find himself.
Another stand-out selection is "Square One," a beautifully crafted, introspective, folksy tune, which first earned recognition after being featured in the Cameron Crowe film "Elizabethtown." The mellow piece, which showcases a comfortable, at-ease Petty, earned him a 16th Grammy nomination in the category of Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
While Petty and company's live performance is sure to be spectacular, those who can't attend should not despair — their multimedia efforts are enough to satisfy any rock craving. The Highway Companion solo album provides a new look at Tom Petty that fans both young and old can appreciate. However, if it's visual enjoyment you're after, fear not — in honor of their 30th year in the business, the more than 50 million record-selling band also have a feature documentary in the works directed by Academy Award-winning director/screenwriter Peter Bogdanovich. The film will capture the essence of the successful band and looks to feature footage from an upcoming performance in their hometown of Gainesville, as well as interviews with Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks and members of Petty's family.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will perform tonight at the Alliant Energy Center Coliseum. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.
