I first began listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers when I was maybe 14 or 15 years old. I was living in Stephenville, Newfoundland at the time and like many youth of the day, the song Refugee became the anthem of my rebellious adolescence. So many good songs on Damn the Torpedoes. I bought it on vinyl. I still have one record from my youth. It’s Damn the Torpedoes. Through dozens of moves, packing boxes, from one end of the country to the other, I’ve managed to hang onto hat album. I listened to Tom with the Heartbreakers, and with the Travelling Wilburys, and his solo albums. I’ve owned vinyl, cassettes, and cd’s of his music. I had never dreamed I would see him play live as I had lived for so long on the east coast, where at that time, no one good ever came to play.
Fast forward to 2010. It was a turning point in my life. My father had recently died. My house had burned to the ground and the community where my father’s family is from, where I was married and built my house and raised my daughter, had closed for good and everyone moved out. I bought a VW Westfalia Vanagon, painted it out, and moved on in along with my kitty, Stormy. We cross the country from Halifax to Victoria, BC, where I made my home base.
Three friends and I embarked on our first musical adventure together in the VW, named Karma. Our first stop was Portland, Oregon where we Crosby, Stills, and Nash on Friday night and Saturday night we headed for the Gorge, in George, Washington. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were playing, with Joe Cocker opening. It was the most epic and dynamic performance I have ever attended. First of all, it was definitely the most pictureesque setting I had ever been in for a music concert. The Gorge is set along the Columbia River, with the sun setting behind the stage as the main act begins. We had the cheapest tickets but by luck and happenstance, managed to find our way to seats in the 9th row that no one ever turned up for. Tom lit up the stage wearing a gorgeous blue blazer and to be so close as I watched him perform so many of my favorite songs...I was in bliss. I fell in love with Tom Petty all over again. I wanted more. I bought a t-shirt.
That concert set the bar for the years since then. My friends and I made the trek to Boston to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers play for their 40th year. It was another epic show. We were nowhere near as close as before, sitting in a stadium instead of a natural amphitheatre but it didn’t matter. It was Tom Petty, in person, again. I sang along, hooted and hollered, whooped whooped my way through and danced my heart out. Tom and the guys brought it that night and left it on the stage. In anticipation for that concert, I had gotten another tattoo. It is of the Heartbreakers heart with the Flying V guitar through it like an arrow. I have the lyrics “I’m learning to fly, but I ain’t got wings” tattooed above and below the heart. I bought a sweat jacket at the show. After the show, as we were waiting around for the traffic to clear so we could get a taxi home, I bought a bootleg/reject tshirt. After the guy left, two tour buses pulled up to the lights where we were hanging out...it was TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS! Mike Campbell hung out the window and waved to my friend and I!!! We were literally standing next to the tour bus at the time. My friend was so excited. I WAS EXITED!. We were on a high for quite awhile after that!
Then came October 2, 2017. The day Tom Petty died. I was devastated. I’m still not over it. I’ve been playing Tom Petty videos every day since. Every single day. I can’t seem to get enough, knowing there will never be another show, or another video, or another album. Everything he has recorded is all there ever will be now. It will be hard but it ill have to be enough. Thankfully he left us a wealth of music, with so many fascinating and talented performers that wove in and out of his life. Man, I loved Tom Petty.
