But die-hard fan Eve Widgoff-Shapiro of Brighton was not at the show.

"Tom Petty was her hero," said Bonnie Stewart, Eve's longtime friend. Eve, 47, died a few weeks ago from cancer.

"Tom was great to her. He wrote her a get-well letter that meant the world to her. She's been a fan since the 70s, and I know she's here tonight."

Eve would have been pleased with the show, when the opening number proved to be just a warm-up for what was to come. With Petty's Dylan-like vocals sounding as good as ever, the band immediately followed up "Runnin' Down A Dream" with "I Won't Back Down," "I Need To Know" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance."

 

The Heartbreakers were also in top form featuring the magnificent guitar work of Mike Campbell, who even traded a few licks on extended improvised solos with Petty on hit songs like "You Don't Know How It Feels" and "It's Good To Be King."

The rest of the band included original bass player Ron Blair, who replaced longtime bass player Howie Epstein; Benmont Tench on keyboards; Steve Ferrone on drums; and Scott Thurston on rhythm guitar and keyboards.

Some of the best musical highlights was an acoustic set that featured Petty on the 12-string guitar playing "I Was Born A Rebel" and a splendid version of "Learning To Fly."

Petty also unveiled three new laid-back songs, "Have Love Will Travel," "Lost Children" and "Can't Stop the Sun," all featured on the group's soon-to-be-released album due this fall.

"I'm always kind of nervous when we play a new song," Petty told the crowd. "So just act like you've heard it before." The more than 20,000 people obliged as they waited in anticipation for more of the hits, including "Here Comes My Girl," "Even the Losers" and "Refugee."

As if the night wasn't complete, Petty and the boys encored with "Free Fallin'," "Gloria" and "American Girl."

The band was tight, and, at this point in the show, they had the crowd eating out of their hands. The amphitheater echoed as the crowd sang every word of every chorus of every song.

The energy of the crowd was so loud it must have reached the heavens where Eve was sure to be "Free Fallin'."

©The Taunton Gazette 2006