The band that left Tom Petty “nervous” before his own performance in 2010
Sorry, but Tom Petty needed to get a grip. He was one of the most celebrated rockers of his time and played alongside some of the all-time greats…who in the world could possibly make him nervous?
You’d think that after decades in his own band, let alone his stint with the Traveling Wilburys, he would have been more than used to being around a star or six. You’re telling me that working in close quarters with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Orbison didn’t at least make him quiver a little – you’ve got to be kidding.
And yet, it was seemingly none of those musical geniuses who truly got Petty’s back up. Ironically, it was his own opening act from his tour in 2010. Don’t be fooled, though; this was not some young, up-and-coming band that the guitarist was being weirdly intimidated by. He did have some right to be scared, because that support was none other than Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
Yes, you did read that right, bizarre as it may seem – the classic supergroup did, in fact, open for Petty, and it was in recent enough memory that many people will recall being there to see it before their very own eyes, yet what you might not have realised, while you were enjoying the show of your life, is that the main man was trembling at the side of the stage.
“This is heavy for me,” he recalled thinking on the first night of the tour. “I walked out and watched a little from the side of the stage, and they were really good that night, really hitting it, and the place was going crazy. I got nervous, thinking to myself, ‘God, I can’t follow that. I can’t possibly follow that.’”
Unfortunately for Petty, this was actually his show and not officially CSN’s, so in order to follow it, he had to regain his composure. He sought out a quiet moment to himself, but as it turned out, that wasn’t much help, either.
“So I go to my dressing room and pull myself together. Then the door opens, and it’s Stephen, and he wants to rap. And that just makes me more nervous.”
Tom Petty
That part was at least understandable, because Stephen Stills standing at your door, wanting to start a rap battle, could only be the stuff of fever dreams. But nevertheless, Petty had to put his rock god turned hip-hop protégé to one side, because after all, he had a show to focus on. How he ever pulled it off under those circumstances is anyone’s guess.
As such, I can maybe relent on my original statement – that kind of warm-up to your own gig, however big or small, would be enough to strike fear into the hearts of any seasoned professional, as Petty very much was. In some ways, though, you have to say that it was a nervousness of his own making.
Who on earth thought it was a good idea to book Crosby, Stills, and Nash as a tour opener? There was surely already enough stardom in the form of Petty to light up the venues, but clearly, that promoter couldn’t get enough. It may have been a dream for the rock and roll masses, but in doing so, it turned into a nightmare for the guitar maestro himself.
