MaryJanes2ndLastDance

As someone who enjoys the heavy grooves and frenetic soloing of Queens of the Stone Age I'm quite sympathetic to your view. At a certain point I just accepted that TPATH were not that type of band, that any heaviness were just bits of spice in the meal, not the main course. I loved when they pulled out Come on Down To My House, Drivin' Down to Georgia, Two Men Talking, and of course, the excellent version of Too Much Ain't Enough from before the last dj; picture a set with just those songs at the end, what a crushing finale that would be.
Stan seemed like he wanted a band that went in a heavier direction but Tom seemed more interested in melody/harmony over riff. Long After Dark was a concession but he was wanting to do something more.
Which brings me something a girl told me years and years ago about their music that I felt was spot on, they're a mix of different styles, from the blues to the psychedelic, from country to folk to rock-n-roll. They somehow filter all these influences into their unique sound. No one element ever really dominates, save when Tom steered the band into a particular direction, like with Echo or Mojo.
Returning to your point, I enjoy when the band indulges in their heavier side, I thought it would've been neat to hear a "heavy metal" version of the Heartbreakers, what would their take be on that even if for only a song or an e.p. It would've been interesting if nothing else.
All Or Nothing seemed a song that could've fit in with the Mojo tracks on that tour, picture  the tune played live with the grit and heaviness of the latter album.
Two Men Talking with Ron bass solo is another favorite, where it's just guitar pyrotechnics. And your'e right, the audience loved it, loved seeing the tasteful Mike Campbell indulge in some fleet fingered fun.
I guess I'm glad for the live tracks we have, most in good quality of these performances and the rest falls into what could've been. That we got one last great album from them that was primarily a heavier, groovier rock album is impressive when Tom could've easily released an all acoustic, folky record instead.
For more Mike Campbell guitar goodness there's the Dirty Knobs, which even if a song isn't to one's liking, the soloing and improvisation can be, another side of Mike's playing.
It's Good To Be King and Mary Jane's also had some great heavy moments on stage, more rocking than other tracks, too.
cheers

This is an amazing cause and it makes my heart grow even more for these guys. Having a child on the spectrum it is so heartwarming to see some of my favorite artists coming together to support this cause!!!

Hey y'all, it's been awhile since I visited the Farm.  Time has not been my own for a couple of years... but it's begun to settle down.  Unfortunately my computer kinda hit the dirt and I lost a bunch of photos - one of them was a great photograph of Steve Ferrone, taken by one of our Farmers here, who graciously shared it with me several years ago when I put out a call for a photo of Steve smiling behind the drum kit during a concert.  I wanted to do a portrait of Steve, but didn't have the chance to take my own photos.  When I lost the photo, I lost the name of the person who gave it to me. 
Proper and sincere thanks are deserved! So if you're the one who shared this photo, speak up now!  Here is the portrait I created from it...   
 

Not a show but enjoyable:
 

Little known but their original name was The Unpolished Handles.

Little known but their original name was The Unpolished Handles.

Not a show but enjoyable:
 

Maybe check out his page too so he gets views.
Atlanta, April 27th, 2017 full show:
 

I'm glad he's going to be okay, Marion! I hope for a quick and full recovery for him.
Take care!

https://bootlegkingdom.blogspot.com/2017/11/tom-petty-heartbreakers-12-march-1992.html

The album looked ahead exactly fifteen years to the future but something was all mixed up, jammed you could say in the process. Some letters were left off the title and scrambled.
 
The Last Dj...The Last Jedi.
 

 
 

...will be revealed.
Eventually.

Merry Christmas.
 
cheers

Merry Christmas.
 
cheers

Merry Christmas.
 
cheers

Merry Christmas.
 
cheers

The Last Dj is the only known concept album TPATH have released but based on interviews and the finished album, it doesn't seem that coherent or successful as a unified whole which is different from its success as an album of songs.
 
It's interesting that Tom aimed for something different and for whatever reason, didn't see it through.
 
The Last Dj---this is a strong beginning and lays out the theme of the album, the purity of the artist, the visionary loner against the slimy  corporations and their corruptive influences on artists and those who listen to the music. I really liked this song and still do, but when I read someone's opinion that it should've been electric, the riff ringing out with distortion, I agreed and feel it sums up the album itself, while good overall, it doesn't reach its potential.
 
 
Money  Becomes King---the lament of the artist who has become corrupted. A very enjoyable song and unique in that there's no chorus. I like this song quite a bit but find the placement odd, again, not as an album of rock songs but with the theme of the record; it starts out defiantly with the first track but we're already at the corruption of an artist. Maybe it's meant to be a striking juxtaposition but it feels a bit off here.
 
Dreamville---A nostalgic look back at purity, a nice song. To keep from repeating myself, I'll just address the themes of the songs and their strange placement for a concept album later on.
 
 
Joe---I go back and forth on this one, sometimes I'm in the mood for it, sometimes it's too jarringly unpleasant. Certianly does a good job of lambasting the corrupt executive.
 
When A Kid Goes Bad---Another one I like though it seems a bit odd to have two songs related to children on here. I guess this one is more abut the bad influence that Joe pushes. Musically I like it I guess.
 
Like a Diamond---anotehr nostalic innocence song, maybe that's what Tom went with, a constant back and forth between innocence and  corruption, which is a different approach for a concept album.  Except, putting two songs related to corruption back to back Joe and Kid dismisses that idea. I like this song but it touches on the weakness of the record, the plethora of slower paced, almost sleepy songs.
 
Lost Children---I like it though the riff reminds me of that one riff in Mary Janes at the end of the chorus. But it's good to have something a bit uptempo here and it was good they'd stretch it a bit in concert before it was relegated to the forgotten songs pile.
 
This next stretch of the album is very bland and boring for me. These four songs just sink this album.
 
Blue Sunday---I don't care. Another slow draggy number.
 
You And Me---to contradict myself right off the bat, I do like the jaunty swagger of this song. But it doesn't feel connected to the Last Dj concept at all. Aside from the romance of the open road.
 
The Man Who Loves Women---ugghh. I really dislike this song. Just bland, boring, I don't care that it's a tribute to George Harrison, I just don't like it. Don't like the melody. Blehh. Seems like nothing to do with the concept, etihter.
 
Have Love Will Travel---sometimes I think the title is so corny as to be stupid beyond belief and other times, I think it's so corny but revels in that corniness that it actually seems cool. Either way, I don't like this midtempo mush. Seems like a would be anthem that never took off, esepcially with the line about the women loving the song or something, you know the line, it would sometimes elicit a cheer when they'd play it in concert; felt like pandering to the audience the same when Girl on Lsd did. What the hell does this have to do with the concept? I don't know. Maybe it's the sonic blast from the artist that wasn't corrupted, that remains pure and connects with the audience. Too bad it's such a shitty song.
 
Can't Stop the Sun---A good way to end the album and possibly the strongest closing number on one of his records since Zombie Zoo! I like this one quite a bit, though it has a very strong Beatles influence. It definitely connects to the theme of the record. A really nice solo from Mike at the end, this one should've been played during the Mojo tour, it would've fit right in.  Anyway, after so many songs I don't care for or slooooooowwwww the pace of the record, this number is one final hurrah, a defiant dreamy blast of music in the face of corruption and a great way to bring the album to a close.
 
 
Leaving aside talk of hypocrisy,  ticket prices, Highway Companions mishaps and  the set list rut and how they relate to Tom, looking back at the album as a whole, as a concept depicting the battle between pure artistry, what do we have?
 
These seem to directly deal with the theme:
 
 
The Last Dj
Money Becomes King
Dreamville 
Joe
When A Kid Goes Bad
Like a Diamond
Lost Children
Can't Stop the Sun
 
 
I think this makes for a more linear concept album:
 
The Last Dj---lays out the theme
Dreamville---the nostalgic look back at innocence before the corruption
Joe----enter the evil
Money Becomes King---the fan's lament after the effect of Joe
When A Kid Goes Bad---the result of Joe's corruption on the artist
Lost Children---the lament from the Last Dj about the innocents corrupted
Like a Diamond---using "she" as the muse, the internal summoning of strength in the face of corruption, beyond the caustic insanity of Joe and the sorrow of the lost children resulting in:
Can't Stop the Sun---the return of the defiance of the Last Dj a bit more mature having gone through everything and an upbeat ending to the album.
 
 
You could always swap Like a Dimaond and Dreamville, in which case, at the number 2 spot, Like a Diamond is about the purity of following his muse and Dreamville the sentimental look back with the black diamond guitar strings, and this is used to summon up the energy for the defiance at the end.
 
You could also slot in Have Love Will Travel in the second last spot, serving the same purpose as I mentioned above, so you go from a look back or reconnection to the music (Dreamville/Diamond), then the rousing number to the music fans (Have Love Will Travel) before the final defiant anger at the corrupt music companies.
 
 
You've got about a seven or eight song concept album.
 
As released, I don't think it works as a concept album and it doesn't work that well for me, based on the number of slow songs and the pacing of the record but I still enjoy the highs of the record overall.
 
I'm curious what others on here make of this record.
 
cheers
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Something I realized was that out of all of their albums, WF is the only one with three songs played in a row on this tour. Perhaps these tunes are not just showing the different styles of songwriting on the record but also taking the listeners through a bit of a story, not a specific tale but more one of simple feelings expressed honestly.
  It's Good To Be King---A wistful midtempo song, a mix of somber sounds with a powerful almost pop dreamy chorus, both haunting and energized as it goes on.    Crawling Back To You----the dreaming is done and now he's lamenting the state he's in, not happy about it, he returns to his lover, is this a good thing? The lyrics in the bridge seem to maybe on the surface, something in her eyes about him being all right, but if that was the case, why does he keep leaving? I don't know! Maybe it's not some direct meaning but just the feelings, for some perhaps it's about going back to someone you shouldn't, the promise in their eyes a lie, or maybe, on a less cynical view, it's is a song of realizing what you've had and being able to return to it, welcomed back to love.   Wildflowers----a peaceful resolution, looking towards the future with hope. Whatever the feelings of the Its Good To Be King and Crawling Back To You, Tom now just wishes the best for someone else with a generosity of feeling. Wildflowers is a tender "UP" song.   The three songs aren't about something specific but how you relate to the feelings expressed.    Perhaps as some have suggested, so much was played from WF not just because of his love for the record but maybe he figured they wouldn't be making a big tour out of that album so why not focus on it during this tour and give as many people a sample as possible.   After a digression of long jamming and then two non-radio hit songs, they return back to their more standard set.   I guess as with most things artistic, it comes down to what you make of it; for me, well...I guess I like the thought that someone who tried twice to make concept albums that never quite achieved their desired effect found a way to have a short little musical play within the 40th tour and what would turn out to be their last.

Soundchecks are all right, still glad they recorded them but don't get too excited!
Very good quality show from what I've listened to both in performance and sound quality. Enjoy!
https://bootlegkingdom.blogspot.com/2017/10/tom-petty-heartbreakers-19950815.html

Another one...check out Benmont's playing!!! Solo starts at 8:22.
 

Soundchecks are all right, still glad they recorded them but don't get too excited!
Very good quality show from what I've listened to both in performance and sound quality. Enjoy!
https://bootlegkingdom.blogspot.com/2017/10/tom-petty-heartbreakers-19950815.html