By Andy Greene for Rollingstone.com
Early on in Tom Pettys sold-out Madison Square Garden gig he uttered words rarely heard at his shows: You probably dont know this next one. The band then launched into the super obscure 1999 Europe-only B side Sweet William. The bluesy, organ-heavy number was a clear indication this wasnt going to be the typical nothing-but-the-hits Petty show hes done on recent tours. With no new album to support, Petty was free to drag out the gems.
This doesnt mean he avoided his massive arsenal of hits. The show began with a 1-2-3-4-5 punch of You Wreck Me, Last Dance With Mary Jane, I Wont Back Down, Even The Losers and Free Falling. Nearly anyone else would save a song like the latter which is so taylor made for arenas even the beer guys and ushers were singing along but Petty has such a huge stable of war horses he could bust it out early with no problem. Rarities soon followed, such as the Traveling Wilburys End Of The Line, which featured a few Heartbreakers subbing in for Pettys absent bandmates and the Full Moon Fever track A Face In The Crowd.
Opening act Steve Winwood who last played The Garden a few months ago during his reunion shows with Eric Clapton came out midway through Pettys set and lead the Heartbreakers on killer versions of Blind Faiths Cant Find My Way Home and the Spencer Davis Groups Gimme Some Loving, which featured blazing organ work by Winwood. Around this point it became abundantly clear that the Heartbreakers are one of the greatest backing bands out there. Any song is immeasurably enhanced by their playing, particularly guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench. Its no wonder they get so much session work when Petty is off the road. The night wrapped up with the hit parade of Learning To Fly, Dont Come Around Here No More, Refugee and the inevitable encore of American Girl. Hes probably played that song at every concert for over thirty years, but he still does it with intense passion and it still can make an arena full of drunk middle aged white people jump up and down like nothing short of Born To Run. For the past few years Pettys insisted his days of long tours are coming to an end. Hopefully hes bluffing.