Please visit and use our sponsors.
They help us bring you Concert Listings, Interviews, Reviews and More |
Has tickets to
Tom Petty concerts
in your area. Click on the link to get your tickets to see Tom Petty in concert. |
|
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
at Ford Amphitheater - Tampa FL |
Tom Petty at The Ford Amphitheater in Tampa, FL. |
June 10, 2005 - Tom Petty broke a few hearts Friday night in the Ford Amphitheater at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. This excellent venue was
the perfect stage for Tom and his band of Heartbreakers to showcase over twenty-two of his
hits and lesser known compositions from the late seventies through today. Often raucous, sometimes subdued, but always in character, Tom captivated the audience of 17 thousand, making them forget
Arlene's wind and rain for two plus hours.
Decked out in his blue suit, red shirt and vest, Tom appeared on stage and immediately had the crowd in the palm of his hands with “Listen to Her Heart” as the opener. With a giant video screen on each side of the stage and a montage of inset live close ups as a back drop, there wasn't a bad seat in the house keeping the crowd on their feet clapping, dancing and often singing along.
Petty gave each member an opportunity to highlight their individual talents, such as Benmount Trenchon, (keyboard) and Mike Campbell (slide guitar) on “Baby Please Don’t Go” and Steve Ferrone on drums with Learnin’ to Fly.” The experience was enhanced by the excellent lighting technique used to spotlight each individual performer so that the audience could get a great view of the performance both on stage and on the viewing screens. This technique, although simple, is seldom used by today's bands which is a shame because it definitely enhances the experience.
Mike Campbell playing the slide guitar. |
As the band turns thirty next year Petty introduced a new song in “Melinda” and performed such old classics such as “Don't Do Me Like That,” “Refugee,” “Runnin' Down a Dream” and “You Wreck Me.” Each destined to be part of the groups ongoing legacy.
To the delight of the crowd, the evening ended with Petty and the Band making an encore appearance. TPHB has proven once again that they are the band of the ages and worth every cent of cost of admission.
Concert Review by Paul Umstead - Copyright © 2005 - Florida Entertainment Scene - All Rights Reserved. |
|
