“˜The Last DJ’
Who more fitting than Jim Ladd, one of the last free-form radio
DJ’s, to introduce Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for their
Tuesday night show, as the band played its new album, “The
Last DJ,” in its entirety at the Grand Olympic
Auditorium?
It’s not even too far a jump to conjecture that the
album’s title track is about Ladd, who “plays what he
wants to play.” Tuesday’s show was broadcast live to
radio stations and movie theaters around the nation, and the band
put on an entertaining show for an hour and 45 minutes for those in
the building and across the country.
Playing the album’s tracks in the order they appear on the
LP, the band was accompanied by an orchestra conducted by Jon
Brion, who arranged the strings on the album. Songs like
“Money Becomes King” benefited from this collaboration,
as Petty sneered about the terrible music industry over flowing
violins and clanging guitars.
Dressed in black boots and a dark velvet jacket, Petty was the
consummate rock star; and his band mates, lead guitarist Mike
Cambell, drummer Steve Ferrone, keyboardist Benmont Tench, bassist
Ron Blair and guitarist Scott Thurston also looked the part.
The stage did not feature any flashy decoration ““ the
floor was covered in Persian rugs, and a screen behind the stage
flashed images of the band and artwork from the album. The rows of
guitars that lined the back of the stage revealed Petty’s
rock ‘n’ roll intentions.
In fact, some of the weaker songs on the “The Last
DJ,” like the cliché-laden “Joe,” which is
about a corrupt CEO, were given new life, as Cambell’s
wonderful guitar work elevated the music. Petty introduced
“Like a Diamond” as one of his favorites, and the song
was a beautiful expression of love amid the songs about corruption
and greed.
The album’s last two songs, “Have Love, Will
Travel,” and “Can’t Stop The Sun,” are
clearly highlights of “The Last DJ,” and their
optimistic tones made for a fitting conclusion to the first portion
of the show.
For an encore, Petty and the band played four of their hits,
including a version of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,”
which featured a dueling guitar assault that left the audience in a
frenzy. After hearing 12 new songs, the crowd reacted well to the
hits, and the familiar “You Wreck Me,” and “I
Need to Know,” were both pleasing to the ears.