Petty & co. bring their Mojo to Mansfield
By Sarah Rodman
Boston Globe - August 20, 2010
MANSFIELD -- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' new album is called "Mojo," and last night at the Comcast Center the veteran rockers made clear that, nearly 40 years in, theirs is still working just fine.
Everything else was also working in the 105-minute show. From the joyous energy of the crowd to the high class, yet low-key staging to the finely calibrated set list that included 11 classics, one album cut, four new tunes, and two can't-miss covers, it was a typically excellent outing for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-ensconced band.
Petty poured on his characteristic slacker charm, punctuating hits like fizzy "American Girl" and cheerfully defiant "I Won't Back Down" with sly smiles and slow spins. He busted out the maracas for the night's early high, a hard-rocking and funky run through the Fleetwood Mac jam "Oh Well."
During the breakdown in "Breakdown" Petty murmured kiss-offs and come-ons to an unseen vixen and engaged in some sassy call-and-response with guitarist Mike Campbell and the crowd. Like Petty, the song has aged remarkably well, with that slinky riff still powerful enough to coil around the spine and force a swivel into the hips more than 30 years and a countless number of radio rotations later.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers never disappoint
By Jay N. Miller
The Patriot Ledger - August 20, 2010
Have Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers ever given a bad show? Not to these ears, and last night's 105-minute blast at the Comcast Center was proof again that the sextet just might be the most reliable rock band out there. Petty and the boys did a yeoman-like selection of their past hits and fan favorites, but also mixed in four new songs from his newest album, "Mojo," and gave many of their old chestnuts such new twists they were transformed.
Beat Street
By Catherine Rhea Roy
The Hindu - August 22, 2010
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Mojo
Tom Petty is not freefalling anymore and is back along with the rest of the Heartbreakers in their latest, eight years too late dynamite, "Mojo". The album is a collection of signature Heartbreaker numbers with an amalgamation of blues, rock and a little bit of reggae, and could not be more aptly named.
Tom Petty gets his Mojo on
By Brad Wheeler
The Globe and Mail - Thursday, August 26, 2010
Concert breakdown
Hits: A smashing knee-length blue overcoat draped Tom Petty distinctively, and the sweeping, swaying liberation of Free Fallin' suited him just as fine.
Misses: Stop, children, what's that sound? David Crosby was majestic on Almost Cut My Hair, but Stephen Stills and Graham Nash blithely and consistently sang wrongly during a legacy-soiling opening set.
Overheard: "American Woman!" from a well-lubricated yahoo who meant to request American Girl - which Petty did not perform, perhaps in recognition of his Canadian audience.
In short: Torpedoes and aging be damned, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers won't back down.
Tom Petty unstoppable at the Air Canada Centre
By Ben Rayner
Toronto Star - August 26, 2010
Tom Petty makes a pretty convincing case, I must say, for devoting one's life to rock 'n' roll, weed and takin' it easy, maaan.
A couple of months shy of his 60th birthday, the dapperly attired Petty who led his faithful backing band, the Heartbreakers, into the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday night looked and sounded almost indistinguishable from the Petty who gained his first foothold on radio - and on the permanent pop consciousness from which he's become inseparable - with "Breakdown" and "American Girl" nearly 35 years ago.
There's something to be said for only exerting yourself just enough. For no matter how much the critical chorus might chronically fuss over how little Petty has bothered to broaden his songwriting palette over the past three decades, the man's best work is utterly freakin' unstoppable. Unstoppable.
Petty breaks out old faves at concert
By Jane Stevenson
Toronto Sun - August 26, 2010
TORONTO - Tom Petty clearly still has his mojo, and that's not a play on the name of his first album with The Heartbreakers in eight years.
The 59-year-old singer-songwriter-guitarist, initially dressed in a black duster coat with a neat beard accentuating his long hair, and his mates played a set list mainly composed of their hits and older songs -- rather than their jammy, blues-based new material from Mojo -- at their Air Canada Centre concert on Wednesday night.
"Well, how are you tonight," said a smiling, overwhelmed Petty as the audience went wild. "We are excited, Toronto -- here we are."
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers deliver hits alongside strong new material at Blossom Music Center
Cleveland Plain Dealer - Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Thirty years ago, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers scored a Top 20 single with "Refugee."
In a recent documentary about the making of the classic "Damn the Torpedoes" album, singer-guitarist Petty admits he didn't think much of the song at first. With its "Everybody's had to fight to be free" rallying cry, it went on to become one of his band's best-loved anthems.
As ever, "Refugee" sounded wonderful in concert Tuesday night at Blossom Music Center.
And for their part, Petty & Co. proved they could still put up a good fight in pursuit of artistic freedom.
Entertainment: Tom Petty finally brings 'Mojo' to St. Pete Times Forum
By Lee Clark Zumpe
The Largo Leader - September 2, 2010
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will perform Thursday, Sept, 16, 7:30 p.m., at the St. Pete Times Forum. 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa.
Tickets range from $29.50 to $125. Special reserved four-packs are now available for $99. The four-packs are available only in advance and supply is limited. To purchase tickets, call 813-301-2500 or visit www.sptimesforum.com.
The four was originally set to visit Tampa earlier this year but was rescheduled to accommodate the delayed arrival of the band's highly anticipated new album, "Mojo." The album, recorded between April 2009 and January 2010, was officially released June 15. It's the band's first studio album since 2002's "The Last DJ."
Reel Reviews: Five favorite movie soundtracks
By Alec Kerr
The Conway Daily Sun - Friday, September 3, 2010
"She's the One" (1996)
This soundtrack is as obscure as the Ed Burns film that inspired it, but with songs entirely written by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is it worth seeking out. The film was a darker-than-usual romantic comedy, and Petty's music reflects that with uplifting love songs paired with bitter songs of heartache. Songs like "Angel Dream" show Petty's tender side, while "Hope You Never" shows a nastier view on love.