Big Blue Sky

Some more images of the Palm Beach festival from various archives? 
Getting there:

Camping out overnight:

 

Interview by New Wave Rock Feb 1979. 
NWR: "Didn't you go to any of those big outdoor concerts when you were younger?" Tom: "I went to one in Florida because the Stones were playing. I was never into that hippie thing. The whole time I was saying 'Get me away from this mud. What is this anyway? This is no way to enjoy rock 'n' roll.' I couldn't enjoy it because I was fighting the elements. It's not fair to charge people $15 and treat them like cattle. Those things are gonna die."  
So... some research findings to share with you. Rolling Stones played in Florida in 1965 (Keith Richards write the riff for "Satisfaction" in his sleep). But those concerts were indoors. During Nov 1969 they toured again, initially ending with Madison Square Gardens (basis for the album Get Your Ya-Yas Out). Then they agreed to play for 2 outdoor festivals: Palm Beach Pop Festival for Thanksgiving... and Altamont Speedway.
We know about the situation at Altamont, but not so much about Palm Beach. Apparently 40, 000 people turned up at Palm Beach, and it sounds like one of those was a 19-year-old Tom Petty!! If he graduated in 1968 and went to Tampa / St Petersburg for a few months in 1968 & 1969, I imagine that by Nov 1969 he was back in Gainesville, with The Epics slowly changing into Mudcrutch.
One site (by people who were there) said it rained & they were all so cold that people ripped wooden outhouses / toilets down & burned them for heat. The bands arrived by helicopter from their hotels, while the crowd were there for the entire long weekend, sleeping on the ground, in tents or in cars.

2001 was wild lol....
 

Am I crazy or do the two guys in that photo look like Randall Marsh and Mike Campbell??

Interview by New Wave Rock Feb 1979. 
NWR: "Didn't you go to any of those big outdoor concerts when you were younger?" Tom: "I went to one in Florida because the Stones were playing. I was never into that hippie thing. The whole time I was saying 'Get me away from this mud. What is this anyway? This is no way to enjoy rock 'n' roll.' I couldn't enjoy it because I was fighting the elements. It's not fair to charge people $15 and treat them like cattle. Those things are gonna die."  
So... some research findings to share with you. Rolling Stones played in Florida in 1965 (Keith Richards write the riff for "Satisfaction" in his sleep). But those concerts were indoors. During Nov 1969 they toured again, initially ending with Madison Square Gardens (basis for the album Get Your Ya-Yas Out). Then they agreed to play for 2 outdoor festivals: Palm Beach Pop Festival for Thanksgiving... and Altamont Speedway.
We know about the situation at Altamont, but not so much about Palm Beach. Apparently 40, 000 people turned up at Palm Beach, and it sounds like one of those was a 19-year-old Tom Petty!! If he graduated in 1968 and went to Tampa / St Petersburg for a few months in 1968 & 1969, I imagine that by Nov 1969 he was back in Gainesville, with The Epics slowly changing into Mudcrutch.
One site (by people who were there) said it rained & they were all so cold that people ripped wooden outhouses / toilets down & burned them for heat. The bands arrived by helicopter from their hotels, while the crowd were there for the entire long weekend, sleeping on the ground, in tents or in cars.

Ok. So, the down? Mud. The up? Some of the best band to ever grace the quaternary era.... As if a pair of waders wouldn't be the best price ever, for an experience of a lifetime...
Personally, I'd take mud over volkswagen sponsored world tours, live nation trickery, golden circles, swag bags and Facebook ticket lotteries, any day. But I know that is just me. The state of the earth tells me I'm going solo, so to speak.

Interview by New Wave Rock Feb 1979. 
NWR: "Didn't you go to any of those big outdoor concerts when you were younger?" Tom: "I went to one in Florida because the Stones were playing. I was never into that hippie thing. The whole time I was saying 'Get me away from this mud. What is this anyway? This is no way to enjoy rock 'n' roll.' I couldn't enjoy it because I was fighting the elements. It's not fair to charge people $15 and treat them like cattle. Those things are gonna die."  
So... some research findings to share with you. Rolling Stones played in Florida in 1965 (Keith Richards write the riff for "Satisfaction" in his sleep). But those concerts were indoors. During Nov 1969 they toured again, initially ending with Madison Square Gardens (basis for the album Get Your Ya-Yas Out). Then they agreed to play for 2 outdoor festivals: Palm Beach Pop Festival for Thanksgiving... and Altamont Speedway.
We know about the situation at Altamont, but not so much about Palm Beach. Apparently 40, 000 people turned up at Palm Beach, and it sounds like one of those was a 19-year-old Tom Petty!! If he graduated in 1968 and went to Tampa / St Petersburg for a few months in 1968 & 1969, I imagine that by Nov 1969 he was back in Gainesville, with The Epics slowly changing into Mudcrutch.
One site (by people who were there) said it rained & they were all so cold that people ripped wooden outhouses / toilets down & burned them for heat. The bands arrived by helicopter from their hotels, while the crowd were there for the entire long weekend, sleeping on the ground, in tents or in cars.

Cool story.  Those festivals were everywhere in 1969.  We had one called the Seattle Pop Festival just a few weeks before Woodstock, in a spot that's actually pretty near where I live.  Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Byrds, The Guess Who, Ten Years After, Gram Parsons with The Flying Burrito Brothers, and many more.  Sadly, I was too young to attend or appreciate. My first show was about 4 years later.
 

^ Haven't heard that one in ages, let alone having my own vinyl out of the bag.. Must say.. it manages to underwhelm some very meager expectations. Shockingly bad work done to a not very great track. I mean I didn't even remember.. what the h#&¥ happens around 3.59?? Someone dropped their gin n tonic on the tape recorder? They cut this mix with some very dull scissors, being in a very dull mood.. Either way.. those "guitar cases" that lurk the front cover lawn, is by far the main perk with this beast.

I was out at a record store this past weekend and came across a 12" single by Tom for Make it Better.... it was only $5 so I didnt think twice... or notice it was the Dance Mix.... it wasn't completely awful until I thought the song was over around 4 min and then 'started again'... for those of you that have not had the "pleasure" here it is from someones youtube... 
 
 

I'm enjoying this series.  Unfortunately, it's not available on Amazon Prime - or any other legitimate source that I can see.  I do have friends in low places though.  Multiple Tom Petty easter eggs so far including "Sweet William" playing a few minutes into episode 4.  Nice choice.

0 to 10 minutes: Danny Roberts of Mudcrutch
11 to 37 mins: Keith Harbin who met his friend Tommy when they were both little kids through his neighbours Sadie & Norma who are cousins to the Petty boys.
He said the week Tommy was born there were 2 hurricanes in Florida - King and Love. 💔  He's not claiming he was Tommy's best friend, but yes, he's known him since the Pettys moved house when Tommy was 2 years old. They all played in the park together, even camping out in a fort there when they were about 12 years old. They also camped out as Boy Scouts, played football, watched movies on Saturdays. When Tommy met Elvis, Keith swapped him the crate of records for a slingshot. And more memories!!  (I recommend watching these 25 minutes of the overall show. Except, poor man, he's so vulnerable up there on stage alone, especially at first. I thought he was very brave.  For him, it's a memorial service for a much-loved friend, not a public story-telling performance. It might have been better to have someone else on stage too, as an interviewer and to help out.) 37 to 56 then some more to 1:10. Tom Leadon of Mudcrutch.
He's definitely on Southern time, stringing out some anecdotes into relatively long stories. To summarise... They could smoke cigarettes at the Petty house. Hanging out with Tom back then was like listening to him on Buried Treasures. Tom Petty usually had a plan of some kind. Tom Leadon gave up basketball for music & their school dean hated long hair. There was a tense moment in the Dean of Boys' office between Tom P, Tom L and the Dean.  TP stared right back at the Dean & the Dean backed off & it calmed back down. Though TP and TL were guests of honor at a Jaycees dinner (for winning statewide battle of the bands 2 years in a row) the speaker was mean about their hair.  Then the rest of the time is musicians.  
It's unedited so there's A LOT of time with people rearranging stools & microphones around the stage. 
 

0 to 10 minutes: Danny Roberts of Mudcrutch
11 to 37 mins: Keith Harbin who met his friend Tommy when they were both little kids through his neighbours Sadie & Norma who are cousins to the Petty boys.
He said the week Tommy was born there were 2 hurricanes in Florida - King and Love. 💔  He's not claiming he was Tommy's best friend, but yes, he's known him since the Pettys moved house when Tommy was 2 years old. They all played in the park together, even camping out in a fort there when they were about 12 years old. They also camped out as Boy Scouts, played football, watched movies on Saturdays. When Tommy met Elvis, Keith swapped him the crate of records for a slingshot. And more memories!!  (I recommend watching these 25 minutes of the overall show. Except, poor man, he's so vulnerable up there on stage alone, especially at first. I thought he was very brave.  For him, it's a memorial service for a much-loved friend, not a public story-telling performance. It might have been better to have someone else on stage too, as an interviewer and to help out.) 37 to 56 then some more to 1:10. Tom Leadon of Mudcrutch.
He's definitely on Southern time, stringing out some anecdotes into relatively long stories. To summarise... They could smoke cigarettes at the Petty house. Hanging out with Tom back then was like listening to him on Buried Treasures. Tom Petty usually had a plan of some kind. Tom Leadon gave up basketball for music & their school dean hated long hair. There was a tense moment in the Dean of Boys' office between Tom P, Tom L and the Dean.  TP stared right back at the Dean & the Dean backed off & it calmed back down. Though TP and TL were guests of honor at a Jaycees dinner (for winning statewide battle of the bands 2 years in a row) the speaker was mean about their hair.  Then the rest of the time is musicians.  
It's unedited so there's A LOT of time with people rearranging stools & microphones around the stage. 
 

At the end of the day it's okay that this album was never fully realized because the Drive-By Truckes Southern Rock Opera would surpass the idea as a concept album and make it, well, a rock opera lol. Seriously check it out. Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley are amazingly underrated in their work and Hood was the one who wrote that great article about Tom after his death and calling TPATH and REM the two greatest southern rock bands ever. He ain't wrong. Except in the fact he didn't mention DBT

Trailer Is Not On This Record  🤣😂😂

Northern Accents
Dave Stewart's Revenge
Not A Concept Album
Damning The Torpedoes With Faint Praise
Walk Don't Run From The Fire
Sweet & Sour Dreams
Still Life With Scythe
Trailer Is Not On This Record
Mary's New & Used Car Lot
DCAHNM
and my favorite:
 
cheers
 
 
 

I didn’t see it but WHAT, you had to pay $30?!!  😡

Did anyone pay the $30 and watch the webcast?

Ha ha ha!  Yes absolutely. (A quote / joke that many feminists love very much.)
On other hand, Fred did lift & spin Ginger around, while making that look easy.
For me: both equally wonderful. 
 

Hey look - one for the Fans of Stan...
Image is from Getty images website (like watermark says)
Brendan Byrne Arena, New Jersey, July 30 1981. 

Fred was a great dancer, but I think Ginger was better. Because Ginger did everything that Fred did, but she did it backwards and in high heels!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. Rebels (but without all the 80s stuff. It has to be rockin' and punchy.)
2.  Trailer (It ain't nothin to me didn't work on here) 
3. Keeping Me Alive (it's a great acoustic rootsy sounding song that would work on this version of the album)
4. Southern Accents (exactly how it is on the original is fine)
5. Spike (exactly how it was before)
6. Don't Come Around here no more (it's to good to be left off) 
7: The Apartment Song (with Stevie Nicks on vocals too)
8. Mary's New Car (filler)
9. Heartbreakers Beach Party (Hell yes)
10. Dogs On The Run (similar to the original with a little less horns, but they still worked so it stil have some.)
11. The Best of Everything(exactly like the original)
Now "Make It Better" and "It Ain't Nothin to Me" will be on Let Me Up ( I've Had Enough).

More like Catti Smith.

Interesting question, Nurktwin. For me, one is building my understanding of music theory.
So I can, hopefully, move a little way beyond just that old cliché of "I didn't know much, but I know what I like". Hopefully!
And you all?

Well, another year has gone by, so today's question is easy. Are you going to make any New Years resolutions?