Tom Petty has played in more stadiums and to bigger crowds than most athletes in the world.

by Chris Frankie

He’s rocked out at the Super Bowl XLII in Phoenix (Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is a big fan) and plays his songs at arenas all over the world. And when he’s not belting out the tunes in person, they’re being blasted over the PA systems and loud speakers at pro stadiums to rile up the crowd, intimidate opponents, or to simply provide entertainment during a stoppage in play.

If there’s a timeout at a Redwings- Blackhawks game or a pitching change in the bottom of the seventh in a matchup between the Dodgers and Giants, you might hear Petty providing the backdrop. “The waiting is the hardest part,” are likely familiar words to anyone who has sat through either. The lyrics are from the song The Waiting from Petty’s 1981 album Hard Promises.

A Ben Wallace block might warrant a riff or two from the classic tune Don’t Come Around Here No More, while I Won’t Back Down is in a league all its own. The Petty anthem is used in all sorts of situations and is a rallying cry for any

“ We try to make the best songs and the records and do the best shows we can, and we keep in that simple.” —TOM PETTY

“I Won’t Back Down is one I hear in every possible situation,” Petty said in an interview with The Arizona Republic earlier this year. “I see the Republicans use it, then the Democrats. I’ve seen it sung on someone’s peace show and I’ve seen it when the ships are going off to war. They take it and use it the way they want.”

Petty, who was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, has been making music since 1971 and started with his band, the Heartbreakers, in 1976. They got their first taste of big-time success when they broke into the Top 40 following the release of their second album You’re Gonna Get It! The album featured the single I Need to Know.

The unlikely superstar was born and raised in Gainesville, Florida, where he took an interest in rock music at age 11 when he met Elvis Presley. His uncle was working on the set of Elvis’ movie Follow That Dream and asked Tom if he would like to come down and watch.

As Petty piled up hit after hit, he not only became one of America’s best known rockers, he also has managed to stay relevant and keep good company.

In the 1980s, the band toured with Bob Dylan. This decade, they’ve had heavy-hitters Pearl Jam, Jackson Browne and Steve Winwood open up for their band. And in July the group h e ad l i n e d t h e B r it i sh C o lumb i a Pemberton Festival in Canada. Coldplay also performed as well as industrial rockers Trent Reznor and the Nine Inch Nails. Jay Z and The Flaming Lips also performed at the festival.

In their recently concluded tour, the band kicked off the set with the intro to the song You Wreck Me snarling through the darkness as concert-goers anxiously awaited the lighting to kick in to reveal the legendary Petty and his band mates. The song, which was once reserved for encores, is now an opener in a set filled with hits, rarities and popular album cuts.

Petty, who is 57 years old, also has dusted off End of the Line and inserted it into the set this tour. The tune was written when Petty was part of the Traveling Wilburys, the 1980s supergroup which included George Harrison of the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison. He’s also included Van Morrison’s Gloria at shows.

“It’s Saturday night, and we’ve got everything we need for one big-ass rock ‘n’ roll show,” Petty said to the crowd in his unmistakable Florida drawl at a recent show in Winnipeg. Petty certainly has the bullets to pump out a top notch show. While he broke out some of the gems mentioned above, the shows also included several cuts from his greatest hits catalogue, PHOTO BY TONY KURDZUK/THE STAR-LEDGER PHOTO BY TKEVIN P. COUGHLIN/PHOTOSTATION IMAGES LLC Rocker Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform on a Heart and Flying-V guitar shaped stage during half time of Superbowl XLII including Mary Jane’s Last Dance, Breakdown, Free Fallin’, Even the Losers, Refugee and set closer American Girl. He’s also been shaking things up by playing extended versions of Learning to Fly, featuring and multiple solos and singalongs.

“We’ve never sought to be famous person-alities or anything like that. We try to make the best songs and best records and do the best shows we can, and we keep it that simple,” Petty told the Edmonton Journal recently. “We’re just a basic group of guitars, drums, piano and organ, and I think the truth is with the songs. We’ve always put a lot of stock in songs, so if you’ve got good songs, they tend to stick around."