***Strolls on stage with hands in his pocket picks up guitar. Floats us along in the clear, smooth lapping waves of his masterful songwriting. He was the real deal.
He was more so much more than anything he ever put out in public, and I never knew the guy. I hope I get to meet him in heaven with Jesus, patiently teaching me beginning guitar. He would know the passion; I could never express how my father was treated, and then me thereafter. People are mean and condescending. Tom was never that way unless it was to the billionaire monarchy that was music. I often wonder how he would feel now that music is so freely shared. I think he would just be him and worry about what he was putting out; how to get his message thru and be popular in an adjuct way. He was always: "HEY, man. Flip that coin another way and see what you get; you may not like it. We might want to re-think this." Or maybe I'm way off...only Jesus knows. It's hard to believe he wouldn't be with Jesus Christ. Sorry if I offended anyone. It was not intentional. Be good. Do good. No reward. Just heaven.
This. Performance...it truly should go down in national archives. The stage presence,.the entire melody, look up the word classic and find this. SHARE THIS VIDEO. Tom's gone, but let's not forget what made him unforgettable.
It’s Christmas, you’re alone and shes not coming back. Tom petty had a way of transporting to you those kinds of emotional life experiences. And yet here i sit watching the rain fall and the tears slowly roll down
He was the best songwriter/story teller ever. I get so caught up in his lyrics. He may not have been the best singer or guitar player, but to me, he was THE greatest thing that ever strapped on a guitar and sang. I miss you Tom Petty. You will always be my number one favorite. The coolest dude in Rock and Roll.
I would rather have singing that is ever so slightly off key than some auto-tuned shit that seems to be so common these days. I feel the same way about drummers. Music should not be made by robots. I play drums better without a click track. I might speed up a bit but i always come back.
What I totally LOVE about this clip is that the song is not some "in-your-face" rock song. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are not jumping around the stage screaming and acting a fool. It is just simply an awesome song with a great band simply performing it to perfection. The crowd gives them a standing ovation, and Tom almost looks embarrassed by the attention. What a FANTASTIC way to start out my day!! Tom...since the first time I heard your music, you have been my absolute favorite artist. Plus, you seem like the kind of guy anyone would love to hang out with. The world will miss your talents Tom!! (Say hi to Chris Cornell for me!) R.I.P.
He's probably my first "guitar hero." I used to cut out guitars from cardboard that looked like Rickenbackers when I was around 3-5 years old. I always cherished awesome rock music!!!
I watch this just about every night. I love everything about it -- the green set pieces; the synth note Benmont Tench plays as Tom Petty walks on stage; Tom's jacket; Mike Campbell's slide playing; the lines, "Out in the street/ Thinking out loud"; the hand shake between two legends at the end.
One of his best songs. 1989 and Full Moon Fever was an important / life changing time in my life. I love how all of his songs are SOMEONE’S life story. Thank you for posting this! Brings back a lot of tears, past and present.
Another beautiful ballad, sung with feeling by Tom. Notice how the crowd gives a rousing standing ovation at the very end, a tribute to Mr. Petty. Amazing how his voice held up despite all the acrid cigarette smoke on his poor vocal chords all day!
the best version of this song i have ever heard. better than the album recording! SO heart felt. gorgeous and sensitively sung. would love to hear tori amos cover this song. i requested tom petty once to her and she did play "free fallin' "
I felt like I lost a part of my soul when Tom Petty passed ! This particular version of this song makes me feel like I’m floating through the air chillin !
i love how quickly his band finds the pocket. This is such a masterful performance by him and his band. I love watching Howie move to rhythm, shows how deep that pocket goes. Beautiful
This was my favorite line-up of the Heartbreakers. Stan still on drums, Howie (though he's not on bass in this particular song) with Scott thrown in there for good measure.
I was a bit confused as to where the bass guitar is coming from, since Howie is playing acoustic guitar. It appears Scott is playing it on keys. What a cool group of guys. RIP Tom
My Xm Sirius radio stays on TP’s channel.... he’s so missed. TP, Mike Campbell and the rest of the heartbreakers have talent that is god given...you can’t teach that kind of gift. Wish Tom was still here.
I was at this taping, it was Letterman's 8th anniversary show, taped in Universal Studios, I think it was? SoCal, anyway. Sorry to see Tom go so suddenly; he was part of the soundtrack to a lot of people's lives, and almost everyone has a Petty song they bonded with on a road trip somewhere. He made songwriting seem effortless.
Seederman, I think it was his simple but meaningful lyrics and so singable with a dance to it swing and beat. It's not 'Rock,' he once said, Its 'Rock and Roll.' It had to have what he once refered to as 'swing' in music. That makes me think of so many songs from American Girl and Rockin' Around ' To The Waiting' or "She's a Woman In Love' 'It's not me" To the the rhythmic feel of "Mary Janes's Last Dance" I stop. There's so much more to say or write. Wildflowers i S's great song without sophisticated lyrics. Right to the point is a gift of his lyrics. John
America has NEVER produced a song writing machine like Tom.And the Heartbreakers and their melodies are 2nd to None...Together their consistency in doing so is unmatched...
Tom sure put such feeling into this song as he did many of his songs one of my favorites I really enjoyed his music 70s to the 90s he certainly gave us his best and will be sorely missed.
Michele Regal EVER so. Absolutely so true👌. It’s part of what we all loved so very damned much about him. RIP Tom....forever❤️. You are soooooo much more than just a face in the crowd to me....
AWESOME might do for this song but it is only a word. Haunting, lovely, sinks deep and hypnotizes. Wish we could reverse the reel and bring Tom back with us.
I still feel like a piece of my past is gone forever. I love playing his songs on my guitar it makes me feel a lil closer to the man who wrote part of my lifes soundtrack. I suffer too with awful leg and back pain and take paiin killers which im dependant on.
I love every comment here about this performance! Every time I stumble upon a clip or performance like this, it reminds me that he will live on and on....like he never left! PEACE!
I first saw this performance on Letterman and glad I found it to watch again...it left such an impression on me. It just sucked me in...I was glued to the set. Hypnotic. Brought me to another plane!
This song just pops into my head again and again and I pop over to YT for a quick listen. Makes me feel good and I consider it one of TP best works. I wonder what it's like to write a song and go on national TV to sing to millions who have never heard the song before. Must be exciting and scary at the same time!
Such a great song and not one of Tom Petty's biggest hits but just real retrospective sort of song . Thanks for the amazing songs Tom - we sure do miss you
William Veitch I've always loved this particular ballad. He was indeed a badass rocker, but there was just something about his ballads. So beautiful and always sooooo very touching..❤️
I sure do miss you..thank goodness for my morning music by you that gives me that "get up and go try" another day and be strong with my stragels .....rip love you🌻✌
He's one of those people I liked ok and his music ok but man o man his stature and pure songwriting ability and his performances just grow in stature as time goes by...
***Strolls on stage with hands in his pocket picks up guitar. Floats us along in the clear, smooth lapping waves of his masterful songwriting. He was the real deal.
before all of this ever went down
in another place
another town
you were just a face in the crowd 😀
Yolowell beautifully said!!
One of my favorites of his…😊
He was more so much more than anything he ever put out in public, and I never knew the guy. I hope I get to meet him in heaven with Jesus, patiently teaching me beginning guitar. He would know the passion; I could never express how my father was treated, and then me thereafter. People are mean and condescending. Tom was never that way unless it was to the billionaire monarchy that was music. I often wonder how he would feel now that music is so freely shared. I think he would just be him and worry about what he was putting out; how to get his message thru and be popular in an adjuct way. He was always: "HEY, man. Flip that coin another way and see what you get; you may not like it. We might want to re-think this."
Or maybe I'm way off...only Jesus knows. It's hard to believe he wouldn't be with Jesus Christ. Sorry if I offended anyone. It was not intentional. Be good. Do good. No reward. Just heaven.
Well said! 😊
Mike Campbell is the epitome of it’s not how many notes you play, it’s the notes you play that matter.
Catch him live if you can. Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs.
Still haven’t seen the dirty knobs!
Great, great guitarist
@@mvwoon Mike Campbell is a fantastic guitarist💞✌️❤️🌼
FACT
This. Performance...it truly should go down in national archives. The stage presence,.the entire melody, look up the word classic and find this. SHARE THIS VIDEO. Tom's gone, but let's not forget what made him unforgettable.
Absolutely!
Couldn’t agree more
Vaya palabras...👏👏👏de pie señores 🎩
YES-Agree!
Pure perfection! ❤
What a performance.
RIP Tom & Howie 🙏🏻
Heroin
Sad 😔
Thinking the same, whenever I see Howie...
By far the best performance of this song. Mike Campbell’s performance on guitar is haunting!
Anna Thornton nice standing ovation @ end
I saw a Petty cover band and this song was the standout. Wintry & Ethereal
that beautiful Rickenbacker
i absolutely agree.
Lost count of how many times I watch this. I’m addicted to it!
It’s Christmas, you’re alone and shes not coming back. Tom petty had a way of transporting to you those kinds of emotional life experiences. And yet here i sit watching the rain fall and the tears slowly roll down
Love how it was his solo album but all of the "Heartbreakers" play with him here!
You are so missed Tom Petty. Thanks for the music that will last forever.
There's something about this live performance that adds a whole new layer and depth to it
They were so awesome live. Seen them 3 times and wished I would have seen them many more!
@@denisebomhoff1155 Lucky. I only saw them once in London 2017 for a trip I'll never forget.
@@TheOnlyPommyman you get a show!! Every penny worth it!
Saw the Southern Accents tour in Berkeley, CA so long ago I forget the year.
Youre absolutely right. It haunted me that night I saw it on Letterman and still haunts me to this day 32 years later. Heartbreakingly beautiful.
This song is like floating above the clouds in a cloud.
E. Allan Poe wrote a short story called...you guessed it.
So right
Inside a crowd
couldn't agree more. Free as a bird.
are you wearing a mask
He was the best songwriter/story teller ever. I get so caught up in his lyrics. He may not have been the best singer or guitar player, but to me, he was THE greatest thing that ever strapped on a guitar and sang. I miss you Tom Petty. You will always be my number one favorite. The coolest dude in Rock and Roll.
I love him too I am sad that he is not here. I ask why. I love this song so many great memories..
I would rather have singing that is ever so slightly off key than some auto-tuned shit that seems to be so common these days. I feel the same way about drummers. Music should not be made by robots. I play drums better without a click track. I might speed up a bit but i always come back.
RIP Legend. My summers will never be the same knowing your tour isn't on my calendar. Soundtrack to my life.
What I totally LOVE about this clip is that the song is not some "in-your-face" rock song. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are not jumping around the stage screaming and acting a fool. It is just simply an awesome song with a great band simply performing it to perfection. The crowd gives them a standing ovation, and Tom almost looks embarrassed by the attention. What a FANTASTIC way to start out my day!! Tom...since the first time I heard your music, you have been my absolute favorite artist. Plus, you seem like the kind of guy anyone would love to hang out with. The world will miss your talents Tom!! (Say hi to Chris Cornell for me!) R.I.P.
Diane Tilson last year was terrible, between Tom, Chris and Allman, three of my favorites.
There's likely no greeting each other where they are...
Everything about this song is amazing!
It is truly phenomenal.
Absolutely beautiful ❤
It sounds exceptionally sad tho. Still beautiful ❤
Mike Campbell’s solo on this is incredible - one of my favorites
Mike Campbell’s guitar work is awesome!
And he can do it with only five strings!
Anna Thornton he’s one of the very best
His guitar solo here is one of my all time favorites. It’s minimalist and tasteful - just perfect for the needs of the song
Maybe the most underrated guitarist, simply amazing every time
He's probably my first "guitar hero." I used to cut out guitars from cardboard that looked like Rickenbackers when I was around 3-5 years old. I always cherished awesome rock music!!!
Incredible song. I was hypnotized the first time I heard it. Mike Campbell is so underrated.
R.I.P. Tom Petty (October 20, 1950 - October 2, 2017) Thank you for the music, you will be missed!
siemenstraffic Conflicting reports, he may still be with us! Please let it be so and he recovers!
Still hard to believe that he has left us...😢
🎩
Love this song and this man. What a musician and such a great-hearted person. Sorely missed.
This amazing ballad just grabs you and doesn't let go
I never knew him or met him, but he was a good friend of mine...
You don't know what you have had until you miss it...
I cant believe i will never be able to see him live. Im so sad. still.
I watch this just about every night. I love everything about it -- the green set pieces; the synth note Benmont Tench plays as Tom Petty walks on stage; Tom's jacket; Mike Campbell's slide playing; the lines, "Out in the street/ Thinking out loud"; the hand shake between two legends at the end.
Me too..I notice something new each time I enjoy this classic ballad as well I listen to this classic Beauty everyday
The Mahogany Guild D212 Tom is playing.
It is a masterpiece! I can listen to it over and over again. I find it a very relaxing melody.
I'm still sad he's gone.
bummed.......still!!
@@19tractor52
Everyday
Me too, my uncle died in December the same year as Tom Petty, I cried when Tom Petty died and I didn’t even cry when my uncle died. True story. 😢
One of his best songs. 1989 and Full Moon Fever was an important / life changing time in my life. I love how all of his songs are SOMEONE’S life story.
Thank you for posting this! Brings back a lot of tears, past and present.
They’re someone’s life story.
They’re everyone’s life story.
Another beautiful ballad, sung with feeling by Tom. Notice how the crowd gives a rousing standing ovation at the very end, a tribute to Mr. Petty.
Amazing how his voice held up despite all the acrid cigarette smoke on his poor vocal chords all day!
i agree...well said :)
the best version of this song i have ever heard. better than the album recording! SO heart felt. gorgeous and sensitively sung. would love to hear tori amos cover this song. i requested tom petty once to her and she did play "free fallin' "
Looks and sounds like Scott is playing the bass part on the keyboard. Seeing this video for the first time. Beautiful,
Tori Amos? Interesting ,Captain ( quizzical look,one eyebrow arched).
I felt like I lost a part of my soul when Tom Petty passed ! This particular version of this song makes me feel like I’m floating through the air chillin !
i love how quickly his band finds the pocket. This is such a masterful performance by him and his band. I love watching Howie move to rhythm, shows how deep that pocket goes. Beautiful
Happens immediately.
This song and this performance definitely deserved its standing ovation.
this performance is powerful. the sound is heavy. warm crowd, too. a lot of love in the room. thank God for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Dont really know why but for me this is possibly the best Tom Petty song of all time.
How did he not win the Grammy for Best Album and Best Song that Year makes me wonder...
See also Suzanne Vega. Amazing talent and her songs are brilliant on a par with Tom’s.
@@Bricameron q
@@Bricameronoh lord.
@@brunogoberna4891 what do you mean?
Bonnie Raitt I think won for Nick of Time?
A song my band has played since '91, so emotional to watch such a great live performance from the The Heartbreakers and Tom. You are missed Sir.
One of the best opening lines in all of rock and roll. Suggests so much in so few words. Credit to Tom and co-writer Jeff Lynne.
Jeff co-wrote and produced Full Moon Fever. One of the best albums ever made!
This was my favorite line-up of the Heartbreakers. Stan still on drums, Howie (though he's not on bass in this particular song) with Scott thrown in there for good measure.
Stan hated playing that song - said it made him feel like he was in a cover band
What a great loss..RIP TP...Never saw you perform in person...I regret it
R. Cope me too.... 💔
Same :-/ 💔
About as flawless a performance that one will witness. Miss you, King Bee.
Am kind of new to the depth of the Tom Petty catalog. Just constantly blown away. Thanks for posting this one.
One of the most crucial live performances ...probably ever.
I was a bit confused as to where the bass guitar is coming from, since Howie is playing acoustic guitar. It appears Scott is playing it on keys. What a cool group of guys. RIP Tom
I was wondering the same thing. I've never seen Howie play rhythm guitar before.
Still soooooooo missed and always will be.
Pauls band always backed up musical guests...
Wow, I didn’t even notice that. These guys were musical geniuses!
I always wondered why Scott Stayed to the side. I know he played with a lot of other bands before the Heartbreakers, but he was just so amazing!
My Xm Sirius radio stays on TP’s channel.... he’s so missed. TP, Mike Campbell and the rest of the heartbreakers have talent that is god given...you can’t teach that kind of gift. Wish Tom was still here.
A great performance. This is from the special that made me curious about Late Night. I was 15. Literally, life changing.
chiefcuster I was 15 when Damn the torpedoes came out.
Takes me back to the days that we're free..
Were
I was at this taping, it was Letterman's 8th anniversary show, taped in Universal Studios, I think it was? SoCal, anyway. Sorry to see Tom go so suddenly; he was part of the soundtrack to a lot of people's lives, and almost everyone has a Petty song they bonded with on a road trip somewhere. He made songwriting seem effortless.
You are right about that when I hear his song Don't do me like that it reminds me of a great time in my younger years
Seederman, I think it was his simple but meaningful lyrics and so singable with a dance to it swing and beat. It's not 'Rock,' he once said, Its 'Rock and Roll.' It had to have what he once refered to as 'swing' in music. That makes me think of so many songs from American Girl and Rockin' Around ' To The Waiting' or "She's a Woman In Love' 'It's not me" To the the rhythmic feel of "Mary Janes's Last Dance" I stop. There's so much more to say or write. Wildflowers i S's great song without sophisticated lyrics. Right to the point is a gift of his lyrics. John
He will be in our hearts foever.
America has NEVER produced a song writing machine like Tom.And the Heartbreakers and their melodies are 2nd to None...Together their consistency in doing so is unmatched...
As close to perfection as you can possibly get. 🥂
Nothing weighs more than nostalgia amongst heartbreak.
Tom’s the coolest guy to ever enter a room.
As I write this it is the heartbreaking anniversary of his passing. I miss you so much, Tom Petty.
These are the lyrics on my brother's tombstone.
Tom sure put such feeling into this song as he did many of his songs one of my favorites I really enjoyed his music 70s to the 90s he certainly gave us his best and will be sorely missed.
Ever the humble man. Rip Tom.
Michele Regal EVER so. Absolutely so true👌. It’s part of what we all loved so very damned much about him. RIP Tom....forever❤️. You are soooooo much more than just a face in the crowd to me....
AWESOME might do for this song but it is only a word. Haunting, lovely, sinks deep and hypnotizes. Wish we could reverse the reel and bring Tom back with us.
I still feel like a piece of my past is gone forever. I love playing his songs on my guitar it makes me feel a lil closer to the man who wrote part of my lifes soundtrack. I suffer too with awful leg and back pain and take paiin killers which im dependant on.
I take an opioid 4 times a day. I need them for my back. He must have been so tired and didn't realize what he was doing. RIP dear Tom.
Felt like I lost a relative when Tom died, thanks 4 the memories R.I.P. Tom.☮
I wore this song out when this wonderful album arrived. I miss Tom Petty. His music and his voice will last forever in our hearts!💜
🎉para mi fue un grande de la musica ,me fascinan sus canciones lo amo
What a great songwriter and musician...
My all time favorite song by Petty...tied with Don't Come Around Here No More. Brilliant. Amazing.
Up there with Only A Broken Heart and It's Good To Be King.
Learning To Fly
He looks so sad singing this. I’m glad they gave him a standing ovation! One of the best singer songwriters that ever existed!
This will always remind me of my trips to LA, driving through Topanga especially.
I love every comment here about this performance! Every time I stumble upon a clip or performance like this, it reminds me that he will live on and on....like he never left! PEACE!
I was lucky enough to see Tom Petty 5 times . The last being 40th anniversary tour. 5 best concerts I've seen. RIP your music is timeless
of all the losses, tom, you've been the hardest one to take for me somehow.
RIP Tom and Howie 💔
His voice is perfect on this song. Great backing too!
I first saw this performance on Letterman and glad I found it to watch again...it left such an impression on me. It just sucked me in...I was glued to the set. Hypnotic. Brought me to another plane!
love....miss....Tom....thankfully got to see him....thank you for posting
This is just brilliant. Love, from Wales x
Love this song!
Oh I 💓 you Tom Petty...! Always have... always will....
I love this song soooo much. Makes me feel so melancholy. And that guitar by Mike ... simply wow. And little Howie ........ 😢
Standing ovation ... Sums it up ... Again and again!
😢 I'm So glad I got to meet you 😊😄
You guys were so Nice 💯 and Friendly. I will miss you guys So Much ❤️💜. Kellene Erin Hubbard or Harrison ✌️💜🙏💜🙏
Awesome, man. Thanks for posting this.
Ahhh, the memories. Great clip. Thanks for posting.
I'm still just SHOCKED and hurt.
starboard Me too.
I still cry everyday
Miss that amazing guy.
What a crushing loss. 😪
This song just pops into my head again and again and I pop over to YT for a quick listen. Makes me feel good and I consider it one of TP best works. I wonder what it's like to write a song and go on national TV to sing to millions who have never heard the song before. Must be exciting and scary at the same time!
One of my favorite Tom Petty songs. Such an excellent live performance of this song!
Thank you for posting this.
Such a great song and not one of Tom Petty's biggest hits but just real retrospective sort of song . Thanks for the amazing songs Tom - we sure do miss you
Thanks Tom & Mike, for killing disco & all the great music.
First time hearing this.... Jam in the Van brought me here ! Its magnificent
William Veitch I've always loved this particular ballad. He was indeed a badass rocker, but there was just something about his ballads. So beautiful and always sooooo very touching..❤️
Kimberly Bellefontaine agreed 100%
literally this songs saves my life today
Loved this song since the 80s.. 💘 Love you Tom Petty.. Rock In Peace..💙
I sure do miss you..thank goodness for my morning music by you that gives me that "get up and go try" another day and be strong with my stragels .....rip love you🌻✌
I remember being blown away by this when it was on originally and still am to this day. Thanks for posting!
Musician songwriter leader singer - an all 'round entertainer. Will miss you friend. God Bless
This music is magic,the other world,thanks.
Tom and his band are so damn good… listening to Filmore shows on SiriusXM, this tune from Letterman was epic!! Miss TP
Howie is the unwritten star of ths performance. Just a great clip! Thank you!
miss Tom.....been missing Stan longer
And missing Howie
This is my favorite version of this song! The ending is my very favorite! ❣️
I love this song 🎶
Great version of a great song. His music lives on.
Oh my, doesn't Stan look so good in that suit! Just an added extra in an all round stellar performance 😉
He's one of those people I liked ok and his music ok but man o man his stature and pure songwriting ability and his performances just grow in stature as time goes by...
Yes, it is fabulous - simple and fabulous ...
TOM PETTY, now has A ROOM AT The TOP, & more than likely he still composing medleys right where his masterpieces left off here 🌌👑🎸