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Mystikos Quintet fuses jazz and electronica
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Local Scene 11/12/08
Web exclusive: Tom Petty at Verizon
Verizon Wireless Music Center
July 3
Petty sure does deliver. And for a pot-addled schtick like his, it doesn’t take much: a relaxed smile, some casual references to Indiana (built in, of course, to the first verse of “Last Dance for Mary Jane”), maybe a couple extended song introductions. He can even make a purple velvet jacket and knotted paisley scarf look stylish and attractive, years after such a look seemed desperately nostalgic on someone like Steven Tyler.
His sound is just as easily reproduced, night after night, song after song, little altered after 30 years, almost fully realized when “American Girl” hit the charts. For me, there’s some sort of sonic magic when Petty’s nasal voice hits its upper registers, playing off of a lead guitar in the same octave. I heard that complementary sound first during the chorus of “Even the Losers,” the first tune he played Friday night that still sounded somewhat fresh, and followed directly by the stale “Free Fallin,” which brought out the lighters early in the set. It was that kind of give-and-take to my ears: one song, say 1982’s “Straight into Darkness,” which followed the Petty rubric but hasn’t been overplayed, and hence, is still somewhat catchy, nigh magical, preceded by “Last Dance,” which, Indiana reference aside (which used, a little insultingly, as a stand-in for any random Midwest state that is a launching pad for someone headed west), absolutely bores me at this point.
But I make this review self-centered because I can’t think of any other way to make this point: Petty has a fantastic voice, solid songwriting skills and is an accomplished showman, but if you’ve heard the tunes on classic rock radio too much, and aren’t a classic rock fetishist, then half the show can be a little dull and perhaps annoying, even if you basically like what Petty has to offer. And since everything is performed at a basically high level of musicianship, a lot does depend on what you want to hear.
Speaking of musicianship, there did seem to be two approaches to the material.
Through a mini-set of less familiar tunes — “Saving Grace,” “Face in the Crowd,” “Peace in the Valley — lead guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Ben Tench took the time to solo in a country-rock mode. Campbell’s solos seemed the strongest, and the most arena-rock, with a clear ringing sound and climatic (though not histrionic) rapid fretwork. Tench seemed a bit less impressive, with solos that didn’t always go anywhere melodically, and a not very inventive use of the B-3 (compared to some of the jazz organ greats you can see pass through the Jazz Kitchen).
On the hits, Campbell just reproduced the guitar parts, Tench fleshed out the tune and bass and drums disappeared into the background, just kind of reproducing the hit single.
Hit-machine band and spontaneous band almost merged at the close of the night — “Refugee,” one hell of an arena rock number; the germinal “American Girl” — but the solos on those tunes (like a lot of closing numbers in an arena or gigantic outdoor venue) are marred by the perceived necessity to aim for the fences, increasing intensity with every line until there’s nowhere else to go (except for cueing those quite impressive LED fireworks on the back of the stage). Post a comment
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Dec 2, 2008
Indiana State Museum
I can affirm that the exhibition offers much to savor, in addition to a gift shop the likes of which you’ve never tasted. It offers history and lore...
Do you have greater interest in the Pacers this year?
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