Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: The Concert of a Lifetime

Tom Petty is amazing. There is no other way to start this review than to state that the God of rock/folk rocked our world on Thursday, June 5, at the Wachovia/Comcast center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The evening started out with most of the other attendees, by the traditional tailgating in the parking lot. Barbeque and beer surrounded us, and it was a blast chatting with our parking lot neighbors getting pumped up the tunes of Tom Petty blasting from the cars surrounding us.

Option to skip the opening act, we headed into the Arena around 9:15 to get our seats. The concert opened to an amazing spectacle of sounds, sights and smells. Of course, no Tom Petty concert would be complete without the instantaneous smell of reefer permeating around us. It seemed that at the start of every hit song the smell wafted around the indoor stadium.

The stage set was amazing with curved steel and a brilliant lighting setup. The lights coordinated with the sounds of rockin ballads such as "Freefallin'" and "Runnin Down a Dream." Glowing with electricity, it was a beautiful spectacle to behold.

The lights, however, had nothing on the amazing sounds of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers band. From their jam sessions, to playing through their amazing hits, everyone was singing along to the tunes. Not a sour note was played, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers band brought about the memories captured through their songs.

Tom Petty, decked in a velvet jacket, brought back the tunes of yesteryear, including his independent hits, as well as those of the great compilation band, "The Traveling Wilburys". Throughout the over 2 hour set list, Petty and the Heartbreakers took us through slews of hits as well as some unknown tunes that were mainly played overseas.

The end of the set list brought about a memorial to the late Bo Diddley, in which Petty played, "Bo Diddley's a Gunslinger". It was a great tribute to an amazing artist. The night would not have been complete without paying tribute to one of Rock's greatest legends.

In the heart of Philadelphia, Petty ended the night with "American Girl" which for all of us true American Girls, ended a perfect evening in the city of brotherly love. Tom Petty is still playing many concerts throughout the U.S. and Canada. If you get the opportunity to see this 2008 tour, I highly recommend laying down the money to see one of rock's legends.