Tom Petty - First Album from 1976
Written By James Downing
I remember working at Rivergate Mall (just outside of Nashville, TN) for a record store called Camelot Music in the mid-seventies. One of the many benefits of working at a record store is getting the lowdown on new music before it’s released. There were all kinds of great bands coming out back then, some of them are still around and some are not.
One record that my manager was really excited about was from a band called Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He had one of the best pairs of ears that I have ever known when it came to music. We would usually just get one or two copies of a new bands record in but we got about 10 copies of this one so taking these two factors into consideration I quickly bought a copy. I loved this record after the first play and would recommend it to anyone that came in the store. Including 4 friends of mine named Mike Arnold, Brian Hasbrook, Tom Thompson, and Tom’s twin brother Jim (a little Concert Blast Trivia for you).
Tom Petty In Concert
Tom Petty and his band went on to become one of the most popular bands of the past 30 years. They are members of The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, they have a star on the sidewalk of Hollywood Blvd. and have won just about every music related award there is.
After a very lengthy set by Crosby, Stills, & Nash, everyone who was sitting around me were ready for Tom & Company to take the stage. The near full arena came to its feet when the lights went down. You could see the band members take their places on stage and then out walked their leader, Tom Petty. They opened the show with “Listen To Her Heart,” an early hit for the band from their second album, “You’re Gonna Get It.” Without saying a word, they broke into the second song of the 18 song set. “You Don’t Know How It Feels.”
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Crosby, Stills, and Nash In Concert
Written by Mike Arnold
I remember the first time I listened to the harmony of Crosby, Stills, & Nash, they had another member in the band with them which completed their super-stardom of the 70s. Neil Young decided to leave for a solo career and became as popular (if not more) than the group he left. I’m not a huge Neil Young fan, but after witnessing CS&N in concert as the opening act for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, I would have to say without hesitation that I truly missed Neil Young performing with his former band mates.
Graham Nash and David Crosby
David Crosby, Stephen Sills, and Graham Nash performed on this night in Nashville, TN as an opening act, but more of a double bill. Their performance lasted 90 minutes, which included an encore of 2 very popular songs.
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Written by James Downing
Going to see a Pat Benatar concert is like putting a quarter in a classic rock juke box. She performs hit after hit and her voice still sounds great! By adding to that wonderful voice, Pat’s husband Neil Giraldo and his screaming guitar licks, you have one of the best shows on the classic rock circuit today.
Pat Benatar In Concert - Neil Giraldo
Pat Benatar In Concert
Pat didn’t have a new album out to promote this summer but she does have a book out called “Between A Heart And A Hard Place.” Each city tour stop became an appearance at a local bookstore to sign copies of the book and to meet her fans. She was going to be at the Davis Kidd Book Store in Memphis at 12:30pm on the day of the show, so I packed up my bags and took off early that morning so that I could meet up with my friend Julie, who lives in Memphis, and go meet Pat.
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Bonnaroo 2010 - Tom and Mike on the Bonnaroo Media Stage
On Sunday,June 13th, 2010, Mike Arnold and Tom Thompson covered the final day of the Bonnaroo Music Festival 2010.
Bonnaroo 2010 - Mike and Tom pose with a Concert Blast Fan
Our podcast coverage included short interviews with fans and many live concert coverage with short clips from artists as John Fogerty, John Butler Trio, Kris Kristofferson, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Against Me, and Dropkick Murphys.
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Bonnaroo 2010 - The Main Stage
Tom Thompson and guest co-host Steve Shattuck brought the first night of our coverage from Bonnaroo 2010 Part 1 of 2 (Friday).
Bonnaroo 2010 - The Cool Down MushroomWater Fountain
James Downing was covering the Sheryl Crow concert in Chattanooga and Brian Hasbrook and Mike Arnold covered the CMA Festival in Nashville. Tom and Steve began the show reporting from the Damian Marley set and ended the evening with The Flaming Lips.
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REO Speedwagon
Written by James Downing
Summer means one thing for fans of rock and roll music. That is the time when your favorite rockers are likely to load up on the bus and hit the road. They might have a new album to promote or they might not. But one thing is for sure and that a lot of bands will be playing outside venues. For the past 10 years The Memphis Botanic Garden has hosted a summer concert series called, “Live At The Garden.” The series has hosted a wide range of bands from The Moody Blues to Diana Ross to Train just to name a few. This year two of my favorites were co-headlining a tour that made a stop at The Garden. That is Pat Benatar and REO Speedwagon. Continue Reading…
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It was Monday, July 26th, 2010 when Nashville finally recieved the promise that Paul McCartney made about 38 years ago of putting Nashville, TN on his tour schedule. Mike Arnold, Tom Thompson, and James Downing were part of 20,000 extremely excited fans that believe it was well worth the wait. Continue Reading…
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On Saturday, June 26, 2010, Concert Blast hosts Mike Arnold, Brian Hasbrook, and James Downing traveled to Elizabethtown KY as they were invited by two of the best classic rock acts still on the road today, The Guess Who and Grand Funk Railroad. Continue Reading…
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Elizabethtown, KY Concert Crowd Waiting for the Show to Start - Approx 5,000 in Attendance
On Saturday, June 26, 2010, Concert Blast hosts Mike Arnold, Brian Hasbrook, and James Downing traveled to Elizabethtown KY as they were invited by two of the best classic rock acts still on the road today, The Guess Who and Grand Funk Railroad, to review their concert at Freeman Lake Park (Tom Thompson was out of town for this show). Continue Reading…
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Bruce Kulick - Backstage with Concert Blast
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On Saturday, June 26th, Concert Blast hosts, Mike Arnold, Brian Hasbrook, and James Downing traveled to Elizabethtown, KY for the Grand Funk Railroad / The Guess Who concert and took time to interview Bruce Kulick (Grand Funk Railroad-KISS-ESP-solo), Garry Peterson (The Guess Who), and Kenny Lewis (auctioneer-councilman-concert promoter). Continue Reading…
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