With his golden locks hanging in his 25th year touring, Tom Petty is still smiling and still rocking crowds of all ages.
He played with his band, The Heartbreakers, as part of his tour promoting his latest album, “The Last DJ,” to a packed house Wednesday at the Schottenstein Center.
His age is beginning to show in his hollowed-out cheeks and thin face, but during the concert he had tireless energy. He played for more than two hours to a crowd made up of students and people who looked like they could be friends with those students’ grandparents. But everyone came together, singing along to favorites such as “Free Falling,” “Last Dance with Mary Jane” and “Refugee.”
Unlike so many concerts these days, the show did not involve a large elaborate set with pyrotechnics and elaborate costume changes. Instead it was a breath of fresh air, allowing the audience simply to appreciate the raw talent of the legendary band.
They played songs off “The Last DJ,” such as “When a Kid Goes Bad,” “Lost Children” and “Can’t See the Sun,” an eerie song that was especially enjoyable. It sounded like something The Doors might have played, mixed with a bit of Petty’s own rock ‘n’ roll flair.
Standing on a shag carpet in his red, velvet coat and his brightly colored tie, Petty gave the stage a retro feel. But the best outfit belonged to Heartbreakers’ lead guitarist Michael Cambell. He wore a pastel suit that looked like it was influenced by the ’80s, and his hair looked like he had stuck his finger in an electric socket — but he had character. Petty has been playing with Campbell for more than 30 years.
Petty seemed to have as much fun at the concert as his fans. He was able to play each song as if it were familiar but also fresh and new. He must have played “Free Falling” thousands of times throughout his career, but it was hard to tell. He embellished it a little, and the crowd loved it.
The band also played “I Need You,” a song they dedicated to George Harrison, who Petty said was a good friend of theirs. The only other time the song has been played was Nov. 29 at the Tom Petty show in London.
Petty announced he was very proud their tour had no corporate sponsor, and the band were playing in the Schottenstein Center, a privately-owned building. He said many freedoms have been taken away by corporate America, but his message to the crowd was, “Nobody can take away your right to say, ‘I won’t do that.’ “
One of the best parts of the concert was the encore, when Petty and The Heartbreakers rocked the house with a great rendition of “You Wreck Me.”
The end of the concert looked like a picture straight out of Rolling Stone as Petty and The Heartbreakers walked to the front of the stage with their arms draped around each other’s shoulders and bowed to the audience. It was simply a great American rock n’ roll concert.
