Refugee
06-04-2008, 04:58 AM
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The systemic malaise that has diminished the once mighty music industry to a shadow of its former self occasionally provides peculiar benefits to the neglected, radio-abandoned fans of adult pop and rock music.
Last night's brilliantly constructed two-parter at the near-sold-out Air Canada Centre – 1960s and '70s British R&B icon Stevie Winwood opening for venerable American roots rocker Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – might not have happened if the radical drop in CD sales over the past five or six years hadn't made it imperative and relatively easy for working musicians with radio resonance in the deep dark past to hit the road regularly to earn their keep.
Neither act has had a hit in a long time, yet past good work, sustained artistic integrity and the solid collective memory of faithful fans resulted in an event that was at once magical and inspiring.
Petty, a master of three-and-four-chord songs beset with simple yet unforgettable melodic hooks and irresistible singalong lyrics, has never appeared more in control of his music, and of his audience.
In shabby chic Florida cowboy duds (red waistcoat, sunshine yellow satin shirt, faded blue jeans) and the focus of a magnificently inventive and complex light-and-video display, the singer and guitarist meandered through his song book at an easy pace. He served up a tightly executed selection of hits and favourites – "I Won't Back Down," "Free Falling," "The Waiting," "Honey Bee," the Traveling Wilburys' "End Of The Line" – and exotica, of which 1979's "Even The Losers", the sinister "Sweet William" and the JJ Cale-influenced bad-boy ballad "Spike" were particularly effective.
The Heartbreakers – guitarists Mike Campbell and Scott Thurston, organist/pianist Benmont Tench, bassist Ron Blair and drummer Steve Ferrone – were equally unfazed by the size and ferocity of the ACC crowd, which spent most of the two-hour show on its feet. Petty's long-time musical sidekicks exhibited a seasoned band's understanding of the power of simple dynamics.
Singer, composer, keyboard virtuoso and primo guitarist Winwood, who has sustained his mystique since the early 1960s by appearing infrequently and hardly ever touring, was a joy to behold. In fine voice and exhibiting astounding musical muscle, he held the crowd spellbound with a 65-minute set that included material from his most recent CD, Nine Lives, and past gems, including "Dear Mr. Fantasy," "Higher Love," "I'm A Man" and "Can't Find My Way Home."
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/436652
The systemic malaise that has diminished the once mighty music industry to a shadow of its former self occasionally provides peculiar benefits to the neglected, radio-abandoned fans of adult pop and rock music.
Last night's brilliantly constructed two-parter at the near-sold-out Air Canada Centre – 1960s and '70s British R&B icon Stevie Winwood opening for venerable American roots rocker Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – might not have happened if the radical drop in CD sales over the past five or six years hadn't made it imperative and relatively easy for working musicians with radio resonance in the deep dark past to hit the road regularly to earn their keep.
Neither act has had a hit in a long time, yet past good work, sustained artistic integrity and the solid collective memory of faithful fans resulted in an event that was at once magical and inspiring.
Petty, a master of three-and-four-chord songs beset with simple yet unforgettable melodic hooks and irresistible singalong lyrics, has never appeared more in control of his music, and of his audience.
In shabby chic Florida cowboy duds (red waistcoat, sunshine yellow satin shirt, faded blue jeans) and the focus of a magnificently inventive and complex light-and-video display, the singer and guitarist meandered through his song book at an easy pace. He served up a tightly executed selection of hits and favourites – "I Won't Back Down," "Free Falling," "The Waiting," "Honey Bee," the Traveling Wilburys' "End Of The Line" – and exotica, of which 1979's "Even The Losers", the sinister "Sweet William" and the JJ Cale-influenced bad-boy ballad "Spike" were particularly effective.
The Heartbreakers – guitarists Mike Campbell and Scott Thurston, organist/pianist Benmont Tench, bassist Ron Blair and drummer Steve Ferrone – were equally unfazed by the size and ferocity of the ACC crowd, which spent most of the two-hour show on its feet. Petty's long-time musical sidekicks exhibited a seasoned band's understanding of the power of simple dynamics.
Singer, composer, keyboard virtuoso and primo guitarist Winwood, who has sustained his mystique since the early 1960s by appearing infrequently and hardly ever touring, was a joy to behold. In fine voice and exhibiting astounding musical muscle, he held the crowd spellbound with a 65-minute set that included material from his most recent CD, Nine Lives, and past gems, including "Dear Mr. Fantasy," "Higher Love," "I'm A Man" and "Can't Find My Way Home."
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/436652