# Tom Petty Half Time Show **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 4, 2008, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155 "2008-02-04T01:13:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ForumBot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee59a6/32.png) [@ForumBot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForumBot)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155/41 "2008-02-04T18:48:56Z")
Yawn. I saw him in concert a couple of years ago at a festival and was bored then, too. He took ten minute breaks between songs to get ready and played identically to the album, no variation and no energy. I wasn’t surprised to see the same thing. I’m a big Tom Petty fan, but only on albums, where the superb mixing means “American Girl” is an _experience_ to be cranked as loud as you can handle it. His songs are far better suited to intimate intimate settings like bars and living rooms. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155/42 "2008-02-04T19:09:08Z")
[QUOTE=An Arky] I think that Tom Petty is great, though perhaps not the best choice for the SB halftime because people want dance-oriented pablulum coupled with wardrobe malfunctions, not straight ahead rock. [/QUOTE] It was still pretty low key and bland for a rock performance, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155/43 "2008-02-04T19:11:58Z")
I think safe is what they wanted. In the first three songs we got “American”, “free” and “Jesus” in the lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2008, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155/44 "2008-02-04T21:26:45Z")
[QUOTE=Siege] Tom Petty did look and sound good for a man his age. Are you sure they were really playing, though? At times what the music was doing and what he and his lead guitarist’s fingers were doing didn’t quite sync up. [/QUOTE] It seemed pretty clear to me that they were not playing. The whole performance sounded incredibly flat for a live performance. All the guitar playing looked ‘off’. There was also one point where Tom Petty had just finished singing a line, and looked into the audience and pointed and said something but you only heard the second half of what he said. Clearly his mic was off and someone turned it up real quick when the saw he was trying to talk. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155/45 "2008-02-05T01:17:02Z")
[QUOTE=missbunny] The last real memory I have of Tom Petty is that video he did, the one on the Alice in Wonderland theme. What was that, about 1989? And he was scary bad-looking there. I mean, not an ogre or anything, but not a handsome man. And he looked a LOT better tonight. I don’t even usually like facial hair but his looks really good on him. (I’m sure I’ve seen him here or there since 1989 but that’s my most vivid memory of him.) [/QUOTE] “Don’t Come Around Here No More”. Love that video. My favorite will always be “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”. _Oh my my, oh hell yes, honey put on that party dress…_ ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155/46 "2008-02-05T01:26:17Z")
I was disappointed that they didn’t play _Don’t Do Me Like That._ That’s my favorite Petty song. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155/47 "2008-02-05T01:58:46Z")
I was really hoping they’d do _Breakdown_, and have the crowd sing. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155/48 "2008-02-05T02:09:48Z")
I can’t watch Petty anymore without yelling to my wife, “Baby Girl! Hurry on in here and look at Lucky play his gee-tar on the television!” ---
**Author:** ![bigdfrombigd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@bigdfrombigd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bigdfrombigd)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155/49 "2008-02-05T02:15:42Z")
“Tom Petty’s Teeth”… BAND NAME!!! ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155/50 "2008-02-05T04:19:50Z")
[QUOTE=WordMan] Mike Campbell - Petty’s lead guitarist - is very highly respected as an “in the pocket” lead player - he can do flash, but typically just plays the perfect lick for the song. He was playing a new Mike Campbell signature Duesenberg - that blue with the white racing stripe is the official color. Duesenbergs are assembled in Germany of parts made in a variety of places and are currently getting buzz as a cool New Thing. [/QUOTE] Thanks for the info **WordMan**. I meant to look up the guitar after the show, but now I don’t have to. I liked that guitar quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155/51 "2008-02-05T06:07:36Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] Agreed, and I’m perplexed at how enamored people are of the hugely overrated _FMF_. I would have loved to see some more Heartbreakers and maybe one solo number, but virtually the whole set? Ugh. [/QUOTE] What does FMF stand for??? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155/52 "2008-02-05T07:11:07Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] What does FMF stand for??? [/QUOTE] _Full Moon Fever_, his first solo album. ---
**Author:** ![sweepkick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@sweepkick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweepkick)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155/53 "2008-02-05T07:43:00Z")
Meh… not bad for a guy who’s based his entire career upon ripping off Dylan. _duck_ ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155/54 "2008-02-05T08:23:37Z")
His voice cops Dylan, but that’s where the similarity ends. Instrumentally their music has very little in common. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2008, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155/55 "2008-02-05T13:29:01Z")
[QUOTE=sweepkick] Meh… not bad for a guy who’s based his entire career upon ripping off Dylan. _duck_ [/QUOTE] It would be a nice shot if it were true. He’s more like The Byrds if you are going to cite a 60’s influence. Lyrically - in style, topics, word choice and pretty much everything else - Petty and Dylan couldn’t be more different other than using words like “a,” “the” and “is.” Okay, maybe both sing with a nasal voice and are ugly as sin, but that’s not the basis of a career… 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-petty-half-time-show/436155.md?page=2)