BOSTON — Thirty-nine years ago today, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers opened for the J. Geils Band at the Cape Cod Coliseum. Thursday night at TD Garden, the Gainesville, Fla., rocker called on Geils band frontman Peter Wolf to warm up the audience, which he did in typical riotous fashion.
Both artists proved they are still at the top of their game.
Petty, 66, and his longtime bandmates are on the road celebrating the 40th anniversary of their eponymous debut album. Judging by Thursday’s show, the first of two nights at the Garden, there appeared to be a renewed vigor, enthusiasm and experimentation by Petty and company. I hadn’t seen Petty this pumped up since his memorable concerts at Great Woods in the ’80s.
You’d be energized too, I suppose, if you could look to your right and see guitar hero/whammy-bar-crazed Mike Campbell wailing away. For some two hours and 19 songs, Campbell and Petty traded licks, egged each other on and playfully and imaginatively reworked classic rock songs.
“It’s Good to be King,” from 1994’s “Wildflowers,” bobbed and weaved and turned into a 15-minute guitar showcase. It was wild and unexpected. And the Heartbreakers (Benmont Tench, keyboards; Scott Thurston, rhythm guitar and backing vocals; Ron Blair, bass; and Steve Ferrone, drums) were right there with ’em all the way. The Webb Sisters (Charley and Hattie) provided backing vocals.
Petty has so many hit singles, some are bound to be left behind in concert: no “Breakdown,” “The Waiting,” “I Need to Know.” Boo hoo! But it’s hard to find fault with a setlist that included “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “Free Fallin’,” “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” “Refugee,” “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” “American Girl” and, especially, “You Got Lucky,” which hasn’t always made the cut during this tour. The capacity audience roared the “hey baby” chorus in “I Won’t Back Down” with unbridled enthusiasm. And Petty blew a mean harmonica during a fiery “Walls.”
Peter Wolf, 71, is sporting a Cape Cod Coliseum-era hairdo and goatee these days, but remains one of rock music’s greatest frontmen. It ain’t nothin’ but a party when hyperactive dancing fool Wolf and his Midnight Travelers (the band of New England-based standouts includes current Geils Band guitarists Duke Levine and Kevin Barry, keyboardist Tom West, bassist Marty Ballou and drummer Tom Arey) cook on all cylinders, as they did Thursday.
The Wolf pack wowed with steamy, sultry, soulful versions of Otis Rush’s “Homework,” the Valentino’s “Lookin’ For a Love” and Geils favorites “Give it to Me,” “Cry One More Time” and “Start All Over Again.” “Must of Got Lost” found Wolf rapping out his infamous “Hey Raputa/Woofa Goofa with the green teeth” intro with updated lyrics “I called you on my cell phone. I texted. Where are you Raputa the Beauta?”
Wolf’s R&B-flavored solo stuff was excellent as well. “Thick as Thieves,” “Peace of Mind” and “Lights Out” were uptempo, butt-shaking treats. I futilely hoped he’d sing “Tragedy,” the Thomas Wayne/Fleetwoods tune he covered on last year’s “A Cure For Loneliness.” Oh well. It was the only disappointment in a sterling set.
Bill Brotherton can be reached at [email protected].
