Shelter

Been thinking of how it all begun for me.... The arena went dark for a few seconds after the final chord of opener Kings Highway rang out. Then some spots came on, circling the crowd. Tom center stage, some ten feet in front of Stan, who was tucked in nicely with his kit under the trunk of this big giant tree. Just stood there. Tom took his hands off the guitar, seemingly taking in the room. When the moving little lights came to a halt, I found myself standing in the middle of one, in my bright white brand new "Touring The Great Wide Open" tshirt.. just some five or six rows above the Howie corner of the stage. (Yep, I saw Howie! And Stan too. I keep forgetting that I actually did!!). One song in and I was already changed for life. I'd been a fan since a few years already.. at least that's what I thought. But this here was different. I remember, in that white shirt, I felt positively glowing. And perhaps I was. Cause Tom, at first he seemed to look for something or someone out there, then his head turned in my direction.. than that smile cracked there.. that million dollar smile... and he lifted that right arm and pointed right at me! At least that's what I'm absolutely positive that he did. The lights went down again for a split second. I think I looked kinda stupid.. must've.. like hit by a bolt of who knows what. Jaws hanging.. Stan hit something, all stage light on.. that strange big tree.. and it all took off again.. second song Too Good To Be True. And maybe it was.
"Yeah that's when it happened.. the world caught fire that day..." to quote a phrase. This all seem like a million years ago now. I feel strangely old thinking about this. Like in another lifetime. But thinking about it I am, this passed week more than ever.

Been thinking of how it all begun for me.... The arena went dark for a few seconds after the final chord of opener Kings Highway rang out. Then some spots came on, circling the crowd. Tom center stage, some ten feet in front of Stan, who was tucked in nicely with his kit under the trunk of this big giant tree. Just stood there. Tom took his hands off the guitar, seemingly taking in the room. When the moving little lights came to a halt, I found myself standing in the middle of one, in my bright white brand new "Touring The Great Wide Open" tshirt.. just some five or six rows above the Howie corner of the stage. (Yep, I saw Howie! And Stan too. I keep forgetting that I actually did!!). One song in and I was already changed for life. I'd been a fan since a few years already.. at least that's what I thought. But this here was different. I remember, in that white shirt, I felt positively glowing. And perhaps I was. Cause Tom, at first he seemed to look for something or someone out there, then his head turned in my direction.. than that smile cracked there.. that million dollar smile... and he lifted that right arm and pointed right at me! At least that's what I'm absolutely positive that he did. The lights went down again for a split second. I think I looked kinda stupid.. must've.. like hit by a bolt of who knows what. Jaws hanging.. Stan hit something, all stage light on.. that strange big tree.. and it all took off again.. second song Too Good To Be True. And maybe it was.
"Yeah that's when it happened.. the world caught fire that day..." to quote a phrase. This all seem like a million years ago now. I feel strangely old thinking about this. Like in another lifetime. But thinking about it I am, this passed week more than ever.

I've been sitting here since Tom's passing listening to his music and watching video's and concerts from the past and I keep noticing that little smirk of a smile on his face that he always had. I sit here and get that same smile on my face thinking that Tom was thinking that "I finally made the big time" and he sure did. Tom's voice (that he never liked), his moves on stage and his humor will never be matched again. He was truly one of a kind and a fighter in every way. I'm going to miss Tom more than I can say. R.I.P. my friend and brother.

^  I don't know, I don't do Facebook. I stay away from it, They are communists that follow you everywhere!!!!!!!!

not sure if this is around here somewhere already.. but.. well.. now it is
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-jules-how-tom-petty-took-on-the-music-industry-20171010-story.html

not sure if this is around here somewhere already.. but.. well.. now it is
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-jules-how-tom-petty-took-on-the-music-industry-20171010-story.html

Agree with both of these. Joe is just a great tune for exactly the reason you said. It's not only seething, venomous and sarcastic, but I also get a slight sense of "F*&% You" in the song... this was done 15 years ago and it still holds true to music today. He's making a complete mockery of everything that modern music is about, but in that, he's not wrong. And the sad thing is, it's only getting worse.

All The Wrong Reasons - Personally, I don't give a damn what others think of the song, it holds a special meaning to me and a special place in my heart. Not only that, I love music with large orchestral numbers. And this piece in particular was done very well.

Southern Accents - I would also add Southern Accents to this list. Now, I don't know if that's considered an underrated song within the fan community or not, but I personally have not heard it much. It's a beautiful, slow, melodic song, absolutely reeking of nostalgia which I can never get enough of.

Lost Children - This song reminds me of a song by Michael Jackson, which actually wasn't released until after he passed, but I hadn't heard TPATH Lost Children until recently... anyway, the MJ song is called Do You Know Where You Children are. TP's doesn't remind me of Jackson's so much in how they sound- the MJ song is more dance and hip-hop (which sucks, Michael kept it in his vault for a reason and then the Estate got their hands on it and completely destroyed it.. but I won't even get started on that) but they both deal with similar subject matter and I suppose that's why it reminds me of MJ's song. But I like Tom's song better because it's simpler, more raw. And often times, simple is better.

Room At The Top - An all around beautiful song. Depressing, sure... "I love you, please love me, I'm not so bad"... but I've found solace in music like that. Like many others, I've been through a lot in my life, I've experienced a lot of pain, a lot of tragedy, a lot of heartbreak and I tend to find myself drawn, like a moth to a flame, to music that reflects these feelings and experiences. Some would run from them, I run to them... I immerse myself in the pain. It's kind of messed up, but it's the only real comfort I know- is knowing I'm not alone.

I'm still finding new songs, or at least songs I've never heard before, so my list is rather short at the moment. I'll come back and add more songs as I think of them

I still have my copy of this DVD that came with the expanded version of the album. It's scratched to hell and unplayable now, but this still strikes me and hits me at home. It helped turn me into a full fledged fan at age 12. It was one of the 5 TPATH albums I got for Christmas in 2002. I watched it several times, reveling in each video and just enjoying the sonic journey I was on and the things Tom had to say about music. I'll never forget it.

as been reported, this was kinda nice.. goosebumps
 

From my blog today (with a Mudcrutch Farm shoutout!) http://wordstormcasserole.com/grief-and-tom-petty/

not sure if it has been posed but a pretty cool little tribute at the florida gators game today the songs will go on
 
http://www.businessinsider.com/gators-fans-sing-tribute-to-tom-petty-2017-10

If I were in a better mood, I could think of a dozen funny captions for that ^^ photo.

Does anyone know the story behind this wonderful photo?

Thank you.
I feel the pain of everybody here. It was one of the saddest weeks of my life.
I remember my first memories of Tom Petty... I was probably 12 or 13. It was around the time of Full Moon Fever. To me, at first, Tom was "the singer from the cartoon"... Because it was that time when the animated video for "Runnin' Down a Dream" was on a roll on MTV. It was only later that I discovered what Tom (and the band) actually looked like. For a long while, he was the Mad Hatter from "Don't Come Around Here No More", the "guy with the hat"... The first album I bought was Into the Great Wide Open, then Greatest Hits (I listened to it like, a million times), then Full Moon Fever... and then in a few weeks time, I bought all the previous albums.
And in 1995, "Playback" was my Christmas present. One of the best Christmas presents I ever received! Thank you, Santa!
So I became a fan of Tom's first. And it's only because of The Traveling Wilburys that I got to know and became a fan of Bob Dylan's. To me, Dylan was "that funny-looking singer from the Traveling Wilburys"... I was so much older than, I'm younger than that now...
 

Randomly I made this playlist for people that are familiar with the hits but wanted to take the next step.
No deep cuts. Just the next step if you wanted to dive into TPATH.  I realize this isn't for most people that visit this forum but here it is...
 
 

I can't see The Heartbreakers going on as a band, the main link holding the band together is gone. And more than that, I don't think they would ever try to be THAT band again without Tom. They might try to tour solo with their own music or just play as studio musicians, who knows? I'm sure that The Heartbreakers are not thinking of that now. They have lost a brother and are trying to recover from their loss. As always, only time will tell. And the problem with time is, time takes time. We are the extended Petty family and it hurts like hell to lose our friend and we'll probably never get over it. The good thing is that we have 40 years of his life and music and video's that he gave us that we can watch and listen to everyday.

It's strange. Everytime I leave this place, I find myself subconsciously thinking that Tom is still out there, walking about Malibu or LA or whatever, working on this or that, recrding something, going to meetings (boooring!), that there is still songs being written and sessions planned, releases to go over and prepare.. And then, just like that -smack! - I snap back.. like in an endless loop this happens.. Quite disturbing and unpleasant.. a sort of backwards and nauseous awakening to the sad fact that he is gone. Man, it's gonna take time to actually understand, after all these years. Everything is kinda shrouded in a veil of unreality.. One of the more grave reality checks I've ever had in terms of not taking things or people for granted...

Man.. This is a rough one.  I have been crying off and on all week. 
I feel like I was lucky to see him as many times as I did.  
2003: I saw him perform with Stevie Nicks at the Concert for Artist Rights benefit show for the Recording Artists Coalition. 
2014: Red Rocks for the Hypnotic Eye Tour.  
2016: I really got lucky!   Again, to see him with Mudcrutch, at what was likely the smallest venue of the tour.. Humphrys by the Bay in San Diego, with maybe 1000-1100 people? 
2017: May 29th for the 40th Anniversary tour.  That magical thunderstorm that allowed for the extra break and guitar issues at the May 30th Red Rocks show.  Swingin', Oh Carol and the Benmont Boogie. 
It's hard to find the words to describe why it hurts so much.  Just when I think that I have them, nope.  Only tears and a great appreciation to a man who gave me the soundtrack to my life. 
I am slowly able to listen to more and more of his music.  I never know when that one tune will play that hits me in the gut.  I am still not able to listen to some. 
I am choking up just typing this.  I can only imagine that this is how people felt when Lennon was killed. 
Thank you for the soundtrack of my life Tom!  
We all got Lucky, babe! 
~ Thea

Whilst suffering a water leak in my house I was browsing the internet at around 2100hrs UK time when the news started coming through.  I was in sheer panic at the news. All the confusion TMZ caused didn't help either.
If i'm honest I still feel slightly lost. I have been a fan for over half my life now and it's hard to imagine a life without the guidance of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.  I put Wildflowers on whilst reading the news but it just didn't sound the same. It sounded retrospective; like I was listening to Jeff Buckley or something, just horrible   
I phoned my friend (we both saw him less than three months ago at Hyde Park) and despite being as blokey as I could on the phone there was just a little too much dust in the room...
Petty has always been a huge part of everything I do. At 22 I flew to New York & Buffalo from the UK to see him on my own in 2008, then in 2010 to Toronto & Buffalo to see him again with another fan who I met on the old tompetty.com messageboard and who lived just 10 miles away from me, followed by the Isle of Wight festival and finally Hyde Park less than three months ago.   Six concerts which i'm incredibly grateful for as I know others never got the chance.
I met up with my friend on Tuesday night to drown our sorrows at a local bar and ever since Monday night I've been a bit of a zombie at work. I work in Customer Service but at the moment I feel like lost interest in everything. I'm usually at the gym three times a week but at the moment I just want to get home and read the latest news/listen to his music.  I feel like I need a kick up the arse to get my head back to normal;  I'll be glad to get this week behind me.
Now questions go through my mind as to what happens with the Heartbreakers and the band legacy. I do hope they continue in some form, as long as they don't become some god-awful "Queen 2" type band with other artists becoming the fill-in Petty.  I always hoped for a Playback 2 box set, but will such complex releases now get shelved to for single CDs to cater for the masses and the "unreleased album" tag ala Michael Jackson? I certainly hope not
His death seems very poetic in some ways.  Finishing up with a (albeit 3 year old) cracking Heartbreakers album, the "this may be the last one" comments, the high-grossing 40th Anniversary tour wrapped up after just a week, the final recognition from the public and establishment, the "without you we wouldn't be us" comments and Toms comments about finally taking it easy for his granddaughter.  You could almost make a movie out of it! 
I'm listening to Hard Promises now and forgot what a beautiful song "You Can Still Change Your Mind" is  

Can't stop crying.
No one could explain it.
 
...
There's no one as honest as those in pain
Oh honey can't you see me? Will you
let me inside?
It's a restless world, uncertain times
You said hope was getting hard to find
But time rolls on, days go by
What about the broken ones?
What about the lonely ones?
Oh honey I'm having trouble letting you go
It's off in the distance, somewhere up the road
There's some easy answer for the tears you've cried
And it makes me uneasy, makes me feel different
Do you get scared when you close your eyes?
I'm having trouble letting you go !!!
 
We're having trouble letting you go !
Thank you for all tom !

Thanks for reporting back! Good to hear all went well, all things considered! That's great news, a bright light in the otherwise somewhat darker world. Must have been some crazy weird days for yourself, I can imagine..!

"Tom Petty dead: Watch his final ever live performance with friend and collaborator Stevie Nicks" (Independent / UK)
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/tom-petty-dead-stevie-nicks-duet-performance-london-hyde-park-stop-dragging-me-around-a7980166.html
 
on a related note:
http://ew.com/music/2017/10/03/tom-petty-stevie-nicks/

ok.. one more.. stumbled over quite a few.. 
 

I was actually coming to post this. This is especially meaningful and touching to me, as Wilco is, next to TPATH, my second favorite band of all time. I have seen them 20+ times, and am just as obsessive with them as I am with TP and co. I have met members of Wilco in the audience at TPATH concerts... twice. So to see this bittersweet intersection of my two favorite bands is, like everything else this week, surreal.

I was a bit of a late-comer to the Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers phenomenon – 1981, stationed in Germany – I still have the album, a black background with Tom’s rebel stance silhouetted by the Heartbreakers logo.  “American Girl,” “Anything that’s Rock ‘n Roll,” “The Wild One, Forever” “Refugee” …  Rolling Stones and Black Sabbath had to move over because this band was singing straight to my Soul.  
    Life got busy after the Army and I wasn’t able to go to shows like I used to, but my rapture by their music continued as each new release unfolded a broader glimpse into this truly clever and beautiful musical mind and his journey.  Oh, I still longed for the music that unhinged me with the first album, but as I grew and my world expanded, so did Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.  In a world where commercialism seemed to overtake the music industry, TPHB continued to stay relevant, maintained their integrity – and continued to sing to my Soul.  Decades rolled by.  Forty years this band played for us, yet it feels it’s over way too soon.
    I suffered a tragic loss in 2005 when my baby brother ended his own life.  The grief and despair just would not go away, nor was I willing to let it.  In what was like a dream, my brother’s spirit came to me, asking that I again allow happiness into my life.  He said, “Remember, you love loud music, loud rock music.  And remember how you love Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.”  Instantly a plan formulated in my mind, and I set out to meet Tom Petty!  I’d get the logo tattooed on my back, get his autograph, and then finish off the tat with his autograph in the logo’s ribbon.  Reno, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Tennessee, Chicago, Denver, New Orleans – it’s been a blast!  And we’ve been treated to some truly great musical guests like Pearl Jam, Steve Winwood. . . .  Every concert an event, so many amazing stories, my entire family going to shows together, meeting up with other fans before the shows, chatting in anticipation of Fan Club pre-sales and the seats we hoped for, road-tripping with my besties.  I don't even say anymore how it feels like he's singing directly to me because I've heard it so often from others -- but it's still true!  You belong among the wildflowers, just play dumb whatever you know, she's a good girl - crazy about Petty (I modified that myself years ago). . . .
    It took some bit of an adjustment seeing these huge crowds, and so many young people, all filled with that same love for this band as me – I had always considered them “my” band -- everyone who knew me knew that!  While I still sometimes get a little jealous having to share them, it’s been truly heartwarming to see them shown such love by so many very cool people, Petty people.  The TPHB community is made up of some pretty special folk, folk who have only added to the magic of the phenomenon that is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.  We've all got our special stories of attachment to this band who sings our lives in their stanzas, and boy, that all adds up to some crazy good MOJO!
    I never got to meet Tom in person, but realized that doesn’t change the reality of our amazing journey in runnin’ down that dream even a little bit!  My sincere and heartfelt condolences and sympathies go out to Tom’s family, the band, and all who feel the shock and grief at the passing of this remarkable human being.