Tom Petty is an unrelenting creation soul that the world continues to grieve, even three years since his sad death in 2017. He was a true rock ‘n’ roll icon, one who bowed out in epic style while performing at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles just a week before his death. It was a stellar two-hour performance for the ages as Petty flexed his muscles to put on a show of the finest calibre—but little did he know that he would never step foot on the stage ever again.
Seeing and hearing Petty perform so perfectly just a week before he would suffer a fatal cardiac arrest is as heartwrenching and heartwarming in equal measures.
On the one hand, it showed that Petty never lost his showmanship and was still the same high octane performer that released his near-faultless debut album Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers over 40 years prior to that moment.
However, it also tragically showed just how much he had left to give. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was going to go out with a bang and anyone who was lucky enough to witness his brilliance can vouch for Petty, an artist always giving every last drop of energy while on stage, treating every show as if it is possibly his last.
“We’re all on the backside of our sixties,” he said before talking hopefully about what the future held with him whilst he arrived into semi-retirement, “I have a granddaughter now I’d like to see as much as I can. I don’t want to spend my life on the road. This tour will take me away for four months. With a little kid, that’s a lot of time.”
