Pemberton Day 2: Tom Petty Hauls in Crowds, Hits, Adoration

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At other festivals, Tom Petty might seem like the wild card. But in a valley full of kids raised by classic rock radio (and even some of their parents) he's quite the opposite: he's the draw. Cries of "Give me Petty!" started the second the Flaming Lips exited the stage, but it would be another hour before the man in question would deliver a two-hour, hit-heavy set that would see 40,000 people emerging from campsites and bushes to sing-shout along. Beneath a banner of screens bearing Petty and his band mates, the Heartbreakers catalogue was tested and approved, bookended by "Won't Back Down" and "American Girl" (with the Traveling Wilbury's "End of the Line" thrown in for good measure). Throughout, Petty thanked the crowd and his band profusely, sporting a charming gee-whiz grin. The masses, in kind, saluted their bewildered hero the only way they could. "I can smell that marijuana," Petty said, smiling mid-song.

For complete coverage of the Pemberton Festival, check out rocknrolldiary.com.

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Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

More Song Stories entries »

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