The band name was coincidental to the cause of death. Imagine kicking right at the beginning age of retirement. He should have stayed out of the Travelling Willburys, though.
I can mark every decade and stage of my life to different Tom Petty songs. There has not been a road trip or car adventure in my life that has not been made better by having Tom Petty on the stereo and singing along! My Dad is also a huge Tom Petty fan, and I remember listening to Damn the Torpedoes, Hard Promises, Long After Dark and then Southern Accents on the cassette player in our 78 Pontiac Grand Safari wagon and Dad's '79 Corvette, driving all over Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado as a kid. Sitting in the back of that wagon and listening to Mom and Dad singing "Breakdown" is a great memory! My teenage years were marked by Full Moon Fever and The Traveling Wilburys blasting as a new driver in Mom's '86 Electra Estate Wagon , and later going to the Meadowlands in New Jersey in a red '86 Iroc Z with a good friend and a gorgeous girl I was CRAZY about to see Tom on the "Into the Great Wide Open" tour in 1991. Screaming along to his music with Denise next to me at age 16 is one of the best memories of my youth. That was the best concert I ever saw. When I met my future wife at college, the first gift she ever got me was the album "Wildflowers", and every time I listen to it, it reminds me of the great times we had then on the cusp of adulthood. When my youngest son was born, I picked up Tom's "Highway Companion" CD, and remember rocking Tuck to sleep with that playing in the background Later in life, in my 30's, I saw Tom in San Antonio, at a big outdoor venue on a warm Texas night. Took my Dad, and it was another unforgettable concert and lifetime memory for me. Will always think of my Dad when I think of that night. I'd always planned to take my kids, Tuck and Eddie, to see Tom Petty live, since I've raised them on his music too. I'm just sick that this is not going to happen now... Boo. RIP Tom Petty! GONE WAY TOO SOON!!!
Yeah, first time I actually saw Tom Petty was the cameo he had in the movie "FM," but I didn't hear any of his songs till my sister played "Damn the Torpedoes," and from there, I was hooked. IMHO, his best track is the live version of 'Breakdown,' off "Pack up the Plantation," where the audience sings the refrain, so when they finished, he waits a couple beats, says, "You all are gonna put me out of a job," and the crowd went wild.
EXACTLY! That's my FAVORITE version of Breakdown as well! LOVED that! Wonder if it's on Youtube. They used to play it on VH1
I remember buying his 1st LP in 1976. Saw him and the band a couple times over the years. My wife and son saw him last in 2010 Mojo Tour (?) and brought me a t shirt. Kind of glad my wife passed before he did, she was an even bigger fan. unc
THIS is why I will miss seeing Tom Petty live. Here. Right here. This is so GOOD. If you listen to it, listen to it LOUD, and sing along!
I have always enjoyed Tom Petty's music. I was saddened to hear of his passing. I don't have all of the memories like Texas Mike, but His music has definitely been a part of the soundtrack to my life.
Of my six nieces, my two youngest dig him! Very cool. Hah hah, I took a trip to bring my one niece back from college in Western Oregon for the Summer, as she was scared her car would break down. So I took the train, met her in Salem, checked and topped all the fluids (including the very low coolant), then we were off. So she goes to start a tape, asks me if I like Tom Petty, and in my mind, I'm like, "if I like Tom Petty" and
I never got into TP all that much - maybe it was because he didn't hit it big until he was pretty much into his 30's (the early 80's) Turns out he was a little older than I would have guessed - about a year older than myself. I was more upset by the passing of Glen Frey.
I hadn't heard about Gerry Rafferty. Now I want to listen to "Baker Street" and "Right Down the Line"
All three losses are a dimming of our Life Light; music is what keeps the great majority of us sane (well, it does for me), and to see all three now gone, it means no more chance of hearing something new from them.
