Reaching Musical Nirvana.

Some of you may remember that I wrote an article in February about being ‘Excited to see Tom Petty’ and I finally went to that gig last week and it was a truly incredible experience.

I was already extremely excited about the gig before I read a comment from one of my friends on Facebook who went to the Monday night date and said how great it was.  I then spent the next couple of days almost hopping from foot to foot and gradually building anticipation.  This could’ve been a dangerous situation as my expectations were so high by now that there was a real risk I could feel let down!

My wife, brother and I met in London and after a quick snack whilst sat in Hyde Park we entered the stunning Royal Albert Hall.  I have seen numerous bands here and it is a wonderfully ornate, yet intimate venue and I was secretly pleased we were seeing Tom here rather than in an arena.

The support band came on (Jonathan Wilson and his band) who were excellent and I’ve already bought his album!  One problem was that I spent most of the set also imagining Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers walking onto stage and I was quickly becoming a jittery ball of energy.

When the lights dimmed the crown roared and when Tom and the band walked on stage I almost shook with adrenaline, my feet kept tapping and I fidgeted in my seat.  Then when they struck the first chords, the lights went up and they started their song the audience went ballistic (myself included) and they got a standing ovation and a massive roar of approval.  You could tell right away that this was going to be a special night from the audience reaction alone.

I sung along word for word to every song all night and roared between each song until my voice was hoarse.  My hands and wrists were red and hot from the clapping and I was almost giddy with happiness for the entire duration.  To see someone play the music that had inspired me and formed my life for so many years and after wishing to see them for such a long duration was an almost spiritual event for me.  My stomach ached with emotion and my heart soared.

There was a surprise special guest in the guise of Stevie Winwood who also received a rapturous welcome and a standing ovation and the audience stamped their feet and sung along to his two songs with full gusto.  The band played a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Oh Well’ and is was funny and awesome at the same time to see Tom shake two maracas at the mike as he sung and then stomp across the stage like a wild man when the heavy chorus kicked in, only to return to the mike for more gentle maracas shaking!!!

There was a good mix of tracks and whilst a die hard fan like me will always wish for more and for other tracks, considering I love all his music I was extremely satisfied with the setlist the band chose (copied below).  Favourites had to be ‘Here Comes My Girl’ where I sung the lyrics full belt and felt them as I sung and ‘Refugee’ which has always been one of my favourite songs.  The gentler ‘Something Good Coming’ from Mojo was amazing and ‘Yer So bad’ from Full Moon Fever has a wonderful sing-a-long chorus that I happily bellowed along to.  To see Mike Campbell wring out the most emotive solo from his guitar on ‘Runnin’ down a Dream’ was a sight to savour as well.  It would honestly be simpler to say that the whole setlist was my favourite as it was an awe inspiring event from start to finish!

After the band finished on ‘American Girl’ the audience roared, clapped their hands and stamped their feet and I have rarely seen an audience so invested in the gig from start to finish.  To say the Heartbreakers were well received would be an understatement!

I wrote on my Facebook wall as I travelled home that night that I think I had reached Musical Nirvana and that is honestly one of the closest ways I have come to describing that night.  I have waiting to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for so long and to finally be in the same room as they play the music that I adore simply managed to open my heart and mind and make me forget the world outside.

Needless to say, my expectations where well and truly met and blown out of the water.  Pretty impressive when you consider just how much I was looking forward to the concert!  I just hope it’s not so many years until he tours over here again, once I’ve had a taste of that high it’s something I want to experience again.


20 June 2012 Royal Albert Hall Setlist
Listen to Her Heart
You Wreck Me
I Won’t Back Down
Here Comes My Girl
Handle with Care (Traveling Wilburys cover)
Good Enough
Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Something Big
Don’t Come Around Here No More

With Stevie Winwood,
Can’t Find My Way Home (Blind Faith cover)
Gimme Some Lovin’ (Traffic cover)

Free Fallin’
It’s Good To Be King
Something Good Coming
Learning to Fly
Yer So Bad
I Should Have Known It
Refugee
Runnin’ Down a Dream

Encore,
Mary Jane’s Last Dance
American Girl