I had postponed writing this for so long because I really just didn’t know how to reflect to myself and especially to other people about the concert. This was my second time seeing Tom Petty and it may or may not be as good as the first time I’d seen him. He played almost all his hits this time whereas previously he played a lot of new ones off his Hypnotic Eye album. The previous time was at the Gorge as well which was amazing in itself. However, I think seeing any Tom Petty concert is just a Next Level experience thats hard to explain. I hate to use some hippy rhetoric, but the “vibes” are always “woke”. Everyones so carefree and happy. It’s just an amazing experience that unfortunately I’ll never get to experience again.
I want to deal with his passing in another post so for this one I’m just going to focus on the show itself.
This is my first concert that I’ve seen at Safeco and I’ll be honest, once I was in my seat it was cool, but JESUS it was a nightmare getting inside. Lines around the block. And this was after I waited and waited since I had no interest in seeing the Lumineers. I’ve heard since that the staff or the “venue” as it were has fixed the problem, and I hope so because the only downside to the whole show was getting in.
Once I was in my seat had a great view of Seattle and kinda looked down at Stage Left. I’ll be honest I’m not sure I can even give this show review justice as I can’t really recall or put into words the songs I heard. The songs were all the hits you’ve heard on the radio. Refugee, Runnin Down a Dream, Free Fallin, and an encore with American Girl. Lots of others as well. Yer so Bad is a personal favorite of mine so I was happy he played that.
After a few songs in my seat I made my way over to Alyssa’s side which looked down on stage right. Tom was in such a good mood and seemed spry and happy. He kept stage banter to a minimum for the most part and the songs were played with enthusiasm and lots of smiling by all the heartbreakers. Everyone seemed happy to be there and this reverts back to the “good vibes” I was talking about earlier.
There was one part of the show where there was some audio issues on a song to where no one in the audience could hear anything. Afterwards in typical tom petty fashion he just laughed it off and said they’ll be back in a few with his signature nasally voice. No one seemed angry and the sound was fixed and the concert was going with minimal delay.
All in all it was great experience. I certainly wish I had drank a little bit less so I could seal the memories in my mind better. As for now I’m left with a haze of the show and the good time I had. Such an awesome show, I only wish I had many more of his concerts to see in my lifetime! RIP Tom Petty.
Here’s one of my favorites of Tom Petty’s I heard at the Gorge the first time I saw him: