Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

It’s been a while since he’s commanded attention from more than his weathered fans, but Tom Petty has enough knockout anthems to make any show right for rapture. Unlike many rockers who have been at it for ages, Petty has great albums in his recent past—1994’s Wildflowers and 1999’s Echo are among his best—and songs like “American Girl” and “The Waiting” are worth the few duds that might fall between. After reconnecting with his pre-Heartbreakers band for 2008's surprisingly vital Mudcrutch, Petty digs deep into southern-fried, bad-ass blues rock for the new Mojo. Live, he still sings for his supper and carries his share of the guitar work, instead of just falling back on the Heartbreakers for support. 

Updated 06/15/2010