Eddie Vedder was humourless. Neil Young tried too hard. Lou Reed didn't want to be there. Sinead O'Connor got booed off stage. The host was about to fall asleep.
Dylan's 30th Anniversary Concert of 1993 ruined most of my teenage expectations back when I finally bought the DVD. Two of those performances, however, more than made up for the overall mess and the general sense of embarrassment. One was Ron Wood's electrifying take on "Seven Days". And the other.... oh the other.
The other performance was "License To Kill" by Tom Petty.
The reedy stare, the golden locks, the poignant vocals, the body language, even the sneakers - it was the first time I saw him, and it was pure wonder. Christ knows how many times I rewatched that performance back in the day (because nothing beats teenage obsession), but in the years to come I would go the whole way, from 1976 onwards.
It wasn't all perfect, nor was meant to be. Tom Petty was the classic American songwriter in its genuine, brilliant, flawed sense. He invested too much in being tasteful. He often let the singles overshadow albums. He sometimes relied on good melodies at the expense of great ones. But who cares? 'Cause when he shone - well, you couldn't look away.
