Tom Petty flies high in Philly
By L.B. Eisen
The Daily Princetonian - April 13, 1995
It didn't matter that we had to wait for twenty minutes to use the restrooms. It didn't matter that our seats were the highest ones in the Spectrum. It didn't matter that I had to find an annoyed man from the event staff to kick four drunk teenagers out of our seats when we finally located our row. And it didn't matter that we had had to pay five dollars for a beer. When Tom Petty strummed his guitar and belted out "She's a good girl, loves her mama, loves Jesus and America too," it was all worth it. It was at that moment that I realized just how American Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers really are.
Petty show filled with greatest hits
By Steve Morse
Wilmington Star-News - April 14, 1995
BOSTON -- Rock veteran Tom Petty knows a venerable rock arena when he sees one. "It's a real privilege to make it into Boston Garden before it's gone," Petty said to a sold-out crowd that appreciated his gesture, but appreciated his full-tilt, damn-the-torpedoes night of rock 'n' roll even more.
His show was filled with greatest hits (we often take for granted how many he's had), but also offered much more, from a surf instrumental played in Ventures-like style by guitarist Mike Campbell, to a gut-busting, Muddy Waters-flavored blues, I Just Want to Make Love with You.
Editor's Note: The thing I found strangest about this article is the fact that he never thought to look up the magazine articles before the concert.
The painful truth about a role model: It is best that you investigate before you decide to imitate
By Darren Mart
The Snapper - April 19, 1995
Even in the worst time of my life, the middle of 1989, there was a source of inspiration. For even during my first encounter with a death in the family, somebody was helping me to look at the brighter side of life. It may sound foolish to some, but the music of my all-time favorite artist, Tom Petty, was actually helping me to overcome tragedy. At the same time, I was shaping my personality around some of the ideas he'd expressed in his music.
His music meant everything to me. He taught me how to believe in myself, how to be strong when a relationship goes awry, how to have a sense of humor in nearly every situation. To me, he was more than a singer, he was a teacher, or even a second father.
So when I learned that Petty was coming to Pittsburgh last month, I wasted no time in securing tickets. To hype myself up, I drove my roommate nuts with ceaseless Petty-thons. Weeks before the concert, I'd dream of singing with the Heartbreakers in front of the Pittsburgh crowd.
Petty's energy wanes at times
By Bruce Westbrook
Houston Chronicle - Thursday, April 20, 1995
The show was sold out. The artist has not.
Easing into middle age with rare grace and dignity, Tom Petty brought his low-tech, roots-rich rock to the Woodlands Pavilion on Tuesday night, showing 13,000 fans that he won't back down from the identity he's fashioned over 19 years as a major recording act.
That's not to say his two-hour concert was a galvanizing success. Touring on his reflective new heartland-style album, Wildflowers, Petty seemed content to amble and ramble
through his set, rather than sparking and sustaining high energy.
Indeed, the adoring crowd that roared wildly at the show's triumphant start seemed to drift away as Petty settled into a lengthy, nearly "unplugged" middle segment of ballads, blues, novelty songs and folk-flavored tunes.
But when he did rev it up and damn the torpedoes for full-speed ahead, Petty and his longtime band mates - Mike Campbell on guitars and Benmont Tench on keyboards -played some truly transcendent rock 'n' roll.
Some free talking with Tom Petty
Daytona Beach News-Journal - April 23, 1995
Tom Petty admits he's no heartbreaker.
"I didn't get into this to be a pinup," said Petty, whose current album, "Wildflowers" is in its sixth month on the Billboard charts. "I wanted to be taken seriously as far as writing songs, making music. The other thing limits your run, really."
The 44-year-old superstar said adoring fans, platinum albums and sold-out concerts don't make someone royalty -- even the rock 'n' roll kind.
"Maybe a man's king when he's fallen in love and raised a family," Petty said in the May 4 issue of Rolling Stone. "Maybe that's the greatest reward there is in life. And, strangely enough, available to any one."
Petty is married with no children.
Positively Petty: Songwriter Improves With Age
By Josh Noel
Casa Grande Dispatch - Thursday, April 27, 1995
PHOENIX -- By 1985, it seemed Tom Petty just couldn't have been any bigger.
With 10 years of solid material behind him and a long-winding string of hits, Petty's credibility as one of modern music's finest songwriters was firmly established. Songs such as "Refugee," "Don't Come Around Here No More" and "Don't Do Me Like That" had earned places on radio playlists that would never be lost.
Even though Petty may have been a second-tier behind the likes of Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp in 1985, it seemed he had peaked and just couldn't have been any more popular...
Yet here we are, another 10 years later, and Tom Petty is even bigger. Almost everything he has released during the last six or so years has been a resounding success, be it an album, single or video (think about it -- it's true).
Tom Terrific!
By John Sakamoto
CANOE - April 28, 1995
Maple Leaf Gardens - Mar 17, 1995
The last time Tom Petty brought his act to town, his collection of stage props included a man in a dragon suit, a swirling light show, and a psychedelic set that resembled nothing more than the far end of a kaleidoscope.
Flash forward 3 ½ years to St. Patrick's Day 1995, and the difference in Petty's show is obvious before he's played a single note.
The stage has been swept clean of clutter - even the speakers have been neatly suspended above the floor - and in place of all the visual junk from the last tour are: a couple of throw rugs, some three dozen candles and, at various times throughout the evening, even someone's peripatetic pet dog.
Along with the 13,000 deliriously supportive fans who jammed the Gardens last night, it also turned out to be the perfect backdrop for Petty's new music.
Pop Music Review: Tom Petty Continues Rock's Tradition, Across a Great Divide
By Robert Hilburn
The Los Angeles Times - April 28, 1995
SAN DIEGO — Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers showed on Wednesday at the sold-out San Diego Sports Arena that they can still make your heart race when they slip into such uplifting '70s and '80s anthems as "Refugee" and "American Girl."
Too often, however, the songs from Petty's last three albums are rather slim and anonymous character studies that lack the urgency and insight of the early classics.
So why is he selling more records and concert tickets than ever?
Tom Petty's return thrills Spectrum fans
By Anthony P. Centola
The Villanovan - April 28, 1995
As his double-platinum Wildflowers solo album continues to soar on the nation's album charts, Tom Petty is currently touring the country with the Heartbreakers. Their sold out show April 7 at the Spectrum was the band's first appearance there in over three years. The new album is still picking up momentum after the first release, "You Don't Know How It Feels," hit number one on the Billboard charts nearly three months ago. The follow up single, "You Wreck Me," also persisted to do very well on the charts. His latest release, "It's Good To Be King," has already begun receiving much airplay on MTV's regular time slot.