Born a Rebel

Tom Petty puts on one of the best shows in Rock and Roll, which is why I saw him so many times in my concert going heyday. The first time was after his Southern Accents album, long ago now, but Petty and the Heartbreakers already had a great body of work to draw performances from. A huge Confederate flag graced the stage behind them on this tour, but was abandoned by a slightly more politically accommodating Petty by the time of the next tour, supporting the Let Me Up album. I remember him singing It'll All Work Out from that album to only a smattering of applause , compared to some of the big hits he was doing. Petty kind of mumbled, "I think that is one of the best songs I ever wrote, but I guess it's just me."
The next time I saw him he shared the ticket with Bob Dylan. Petty and the Heartbreakers opened the show with a pared down version of one of their concerts, and then backed up Dylan for the balance of the show. Dylan was in fine form, playing some songs with just his own guitar and harmonica, and some with full Heartbreaker backing, which blended wonderfully.
The last time I saw Petty he was the headliner of a Rock'n'roll Caravan tour with a few other bands; the only one I remember was the Georgia Satellites. (They kinda sucked.) It was a good show, but the main thing I remember was that I had a horrible poison ivy patch, a welt the size of a frying pan on my thigh. It was weepy so I had to patch over it with paper towels and tape, and wear the baggiest pants I could find: my Dad's brown dress pants. So needless to say, I was far from comfortable, and far from the hippest lookin' cat at the show-but hey-the things we do for Rock and Roll!

My First Concert

1982 seems like several lifetimes ago. Not quite seventeen, and leading quite the provincial life, my appreciation of music was limited to the radio and the record player. My oldest brother and his friends were several years older than I , and to my young mind, seemed to be quite the worldly sophisticates already. When they invited me to see The Police with them in Austin , I jumped at the chance. I remember a rainy ride up to Austin and a fantastic meal at my favorite pizzeria, Conan's Pizza , at its old location on the Drag. I wasn't real familiar with the music of The Police, but I liked Roxanne and Invisible Sun, the latter from their Ghost in the Machine album, which they were touring to promote. The smell of Clove cigarettes , pot, and a potpourri of colognes filled the smoky air.. The seats were in the nosebleeds, but the music rocked.. I remember the tiny figure of Sting jamming on his upright bass, and the sharp crack of the drums. My brother and his friends, who were more up on the bands songbook, seemed particularly happy with a encore that included a song I later grew to like, Secret Journey.
While sorting through some old papers recently, I found a clutch of old ticket stubs that I had
squirreled away over the years. Many memories were evoked, and I hope to share them in brief over my next few posts.
This was my first concert, and it was a good one, but not what I would consider near the best. Still, as they say, there's something about your first...