Monday was a very rough day for the dude. First off if it wasn't that the shooting in Vegas was bad enough (I should NEVER have watched the video of that carnage), but to come home from work and get a text from my sister that Tom Petty passed way mde me feel like I was living in the 'Twilight Zone'. It got worse when the initial reports of Tom Petty's passing proved to be untrue and then to add to that, he probably won't make it through the night.
Tom Petty was like a real American hero to me. He provided the soundtrack to most of my youth. I saw Petty live 4 times. Just the other night, I was at a local internet radio station singing 'I Won't Back Down' to karaoke on the air. I just learned guitar. My first song was 'Free Falling'. I owned every Petty album, seen all his music videos. The news made me want to jump out of a fucking window (I'm exaggerating, but not by a whole lot!). I tried listening to Petty that night, I couldn't get through a song without wanting to burst out into tears. Tom Petty was one of them artists whom you always thought would be around. Before his death, a lot of people (Even passive listeners to his music) probably could never imagine a world without Tom Petty in one form or another.
Petty was a person who stayed true to his art. He never sold out to the devil of corporate greed. His music was organic and he delivered consistently good quality rock and roll. He insisted that nobody should have to break the bank to see him live or purchase his albums. In fact, he dedicated an amazing album (The Last DJ) as his protest against how the corporate mentality is ruining pop culture. And the sad thing about it, he's been proven right every step of the way.
Petty live is an experience. He just doesn't play good, he's amazing! He knows how to work the crowd. He knows how to entertain. The first concert I saw of his was back in 2002. He had just entered the Rock and Roll hall of fame. He didn't have an album out at that time so he was performing mostly all of his legendary tunes. When I went to the show (Because I bought tickets late) I sat in the back row. As soon a he took the stage, every single audience member stood up and didn't sit down throughout the entire performance. Everyone sang every word to every song. It wasn't just adults in their 30's or older that were in attendance either. Teens and pre-teens were in abundance at that show. It was one of the most memorable concert experiences that I've ever witnessed. The three other shows I went to, it just seemed that Tom Petty got better with age. His voice showed no signs of wear and the songs got more interesting.
The loss of Tom Petty in the music industry is huge. In a time where the mainstream music industry is the worst and suckiest it's ever been, legendary, good quality rock stars like Petty are dying quickly. What will we have left when they are all gone? The kind of shit we hear on top 40 radio now? Are you fucking kidding me? Where do we go from there?
Tom Petty was like a real American hero to me. He provided the soundtrack to most of my youth. I saw Petty live 4 times. Just the other night, I was at a local internet radio station singing 'I Won't Back Down' to karaoke on the air. I just learned guitar. My first song was 'Free Falling'. I owned every Petty album, seen all his music videos. The news made me want to jump out of a fucking window (I'm exaggerating, but not by a whole lot!). I tried listening to Petty that night, I couldn't get through a song without wanting to burst out into tears. Tom Petty was one of them artists whom you always thought would be around. Before his death, a lot of people (Even passive listeners to his music) probably could never imagine a world without Tom Petty in one form or another.
Petty was a person who stayed true to his art. He never sold out to the devil of corporate greed. His music was organic and he delivered consistently good quality rock and roll. He insisted that nobody should have to break the bank to see him live or purchase his albums. In fact, he dedicated an amazing album (The Last DJ) as his protest against how the corporate mentality is ruining pop culture. And the sad thing about it, he's been proven right every step of the way.
Petty live is an experience. He just doesn't play good, he's amazing! He knows how to work the crowd. He knows how to entertain. The first concert I saw of his was back in 2002. He had just entered the Rock and Roll hall of fame. He didn't have an album out at that time so he was performing mostly all of his legendary tunes. When I went to the show (Because I bought tickets late) I sat in the back row. As soon a he took the stage, every single audience member stood up and didn't sit down throughout the entire performance. Everyone sang every word to every song. It wasn't just adults in their 30's or older that were in attendance either. Teens and pre-teens were in abundance at that show. It was one of the most memorable concert experiences that I've ever witnessed. The three other shows I went to, it just seemed that Tom Petty got better with age. His voice showed no signs of wear and the songs got more interesting.
The loss of Tom Petty in the music industry is huge. In a time where the mainstream music industry is the worst and suckiest it's ever been, legendary, good quality rock stars like Petty are dying quickly. What will we have left when they are all gone? The kind of shit we hear on top 40 radio now? Are you fucking kidding me? Where do we go from there?
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