The Petty Thieves’ first performance was in 2018, a year after Petty’s death. Trey Stone, a local musician who takes the lead as Petty, brought the idea from its roots in Chicago to Dayton, in honor of the late Heartbreakers frontman and his myriad radio hits.
The show consists of a group of musicians playing Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, but it’s not a tribute in the sense that they are trying to look like the band. Though Stone, as he will admit, did bear some resemblance to Tom Petty at one point—a coincidental combination of sunglasses and hair that was an added bonus, but not at all germane to the show.
The current Petty Thieves lineup includes Stone, Matt Bourelle, Damien Dennis, Brian Hoeflich, Sam King and Rob Thaxton as the core band. The Traveling Wilburys portion of the show—a tribute to Petty’s short-lived supergroup side-project—features Stone, King, Thaxton, John Dubuc and David Payne.
“One of the great things about Tom Petty is that when he put out his first album, it already seemed like he had classic rock credentials,” Stone said. “I remember when ‘Full Moon Fever’ came out [in 1989] and ‘Runnin’ Down a Dream’ was not just a hit; it seemed like it was accepted alongside ‘Layla’ and ‘Stairway to Heaven.’ This is one of those big classic songs, and we’re gonna hear it on the radio forever now. The guy produced instant classics.”
Every song the Petty Thieves recreates is A-list material, with songs derived from records like “Damn the Torpedoes,” “Into the Great Wide Open” and “Hard Promises.”
As Stone and the band have discovered honoring the Petty material, there’s not a misplaced or extra note anywhere in his catalog. Things are underplayed, whether on “Free Fallin’” or “American Girl,” and changing what’s radio canon can be distressing because the music is already the way it should be.
“You never get bombast with Petty,” Stone said. “It’s all about the excitement of an open E chord. That’s the glory of rock and roll, distilled.”
Despite hailing from Gainesville, Fla., and eventually making a mark on the Southern California rock scene, Tom Petty maintained a Heartland aesthetic, with his faded jeans, laid back drawl and lyrics evoking a simpler world. And because of those attributes, Petty is often associated with the Midwest, too, hitting home with many of the musicians paying tribute to him in the Petty Thieves.
“Regardless of the topic he’s attacking, he does it with a lot of relatability,” said Sam King, who tackles the Bob Dylan songs in the Wilburys set. “There’s something about the way [Petty] approaches songwriting with such a humble spirit that I think it resonates. There’s something about all of his music that brings some warmth into existence. He wrote songs for everybody.”
Brandon Berry writes about the Dayton and Southwest Ohio music scene. Have a story idea for him? Email branberry100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: The Petty Thieves: A Tribute to Tom Petty
When: 7 p.m., Feb. 22
Where: Springfield State Theater, 19 South Fountain Ave., Springfield
Cost: $12 early bird, $15 door
Tickets: springfieldstatetheater.com
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