10.02.2017 03:49 PM

Tom Petty, RIP…or, not (updated)

Almost 30 years ago, I drove down from Ottawa to TeeDot to see the Replacements open for him.  The ‘Mats were drunker than skunks, comme toujours, but I spotted Petty on the side, watching them, laughing his ass off.  I liked that.

Anybody who would take the circa-’89 Replacements on tour with them was either (a) crazy or (b) a real rock’n’roller.  Tom Petty was the latter.

UPDATE: Um, well, er.

6 Comments

  1. Miles Lunn says:

    I also remember him from the Traveling Wilburys. Sadly only two of the original five are still left (Dylan and Lynne while Harrison and Orbison passed away earlier).

  2. Miles Lunn says:

    It was a bit premature, but it is now official. What happened is he went into cardiac arrest, they put him on life support which was withdrawn when the news broke. He didn’t die right away, but did within a few hours.

  3. Lynn says:

    I wore out my “Damn the Torpedoes” tape in my walkman, then bought the cd that I still play regularly…along with many of his other works.

    RIP, Mr. Petty.

  4. Jim Keegan says:

    One of my favourite musicians; very sorry to hear of his passing.

    Runnin’ Down a Dream still one of my all time favourites.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1D3a5eDJIs&sns=em

    Rest In Peace, Tom.

  5. Richard Dennis says:

    I went to the same show – the only time I saw the Replacements. They went on the record in Rolling Stone saying that the Kingswood show was their absolute low point as a performing band. They were pretty wasted. I taped their set and circulated it to a Replacements fan. He wrote back and asked me if they were able to stand up. That aside halfway through their set, they did a song called “She’s A Goer” (no one seems to know where that song came from) and my recording shows that they were capable of becoming one of the most kick-ass rock n roll bands even during a pretty chaotic set. Guest Benmont Tench on piano was great with them. They followed that with a slowed down version of The Only Ones’ “Another Girl, Another Planet”. It was the last night for The Replacements on that tour so Petty had them come out for “Route 66”.

  6. Richard Dennis says:

    I was at that show and taped both sets. Circulated the Mats set to a Replacements collector. He actually wrote back to ask me if they had been capable of standing up. As chaotic as their set was, they did an unknown song called “She’s A Go-er” with Heartbreaker Benmont Tench on piano. They became a kick-ass rock n roll band by sheer will at that moment.

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