Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Wrigley Field // Chicago, IL // June 29, 2017

Tom Petty controls the weather.

Last Thursday evening, thousands of people crowded into Wrigley Field for a sold-out performance by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and many were concerned the show would be delayed or even canceled. Thunderstorms ominously crept closer and closer to the baseball field, but there was no lightning to be seen. During opener Chris Stapleton’s set, the clouds opened up, dumping massive amounts of rain on fans in ponchos, but the concert carried on. No lightning meant no delay.

For Tom Petty, this tour marks 40 years of the Heartbreakers and 40 years of continuously impressive singles, collaborations and live shows. The singer-songwriter has more radio hits than most people think, and those hits have spanned generations. Both teenagers and older patrons filled the bleachers and field that night, and everyone knew the words. Petty opened with “Rockin’ Around (With You),” the first track off the band’s debut album, and ended the night with “American Girl,” the last track off that same album. Petty didn’t stop moving, whether he was playing guitar alongside the original band members or encouraging the audience to sing the words to his iconic songs.

Tom Petty is still on tour and will be ending his epic show at the Hollywood Bowl on September 22nd.

Chris Stapleton

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers