ALPHARETTA, Ga. (April 30, 2012) - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers delivered a rousing rock concert in this tony Atlanta suburb last night.
Petty let the packed house at Verizon Amphitheatre know he was glad to be in Georgia, where he traces some of his roots. "It's good to be back in Georgia, I tell you what."
Specifically, Petty played what once once dubbed Atlanta's "Golden Corridor" - the area along Ga. 400 where four-story spec office buildings popped up weekly during the late 1990s. Some of the luster is lost, but North Fulton will rise again. OK, enought real estate. Now back to rock 'n' roll.
Petty and his all-American rock 'n' roll band from Gainesville, Fla., played a 21-song setlist that included the hits ("I Won't Back Down," "Free Fallin,'" and "Refugee") and some deep cuts they haven't played live in a while ("Something Big" from Hard Promises and "Spike" from Southern Accents).
And while their encore of "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and "American Girl" kicked ass, the show's highlight might have been the lesser-known "I Should Have Known It" from Mojo or the bank's cover of J.J. Cale's "Travelin' Light." On both songs, the Heartbreakers - especially guitarist Mike Campbell - proved that - even 36 years in - they're one of the tightest rock bands around.
And for a night, quiet Alpharetta rocked.
Fair and full disclosure: The author of this post has seen Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 49 times.
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