Photo by Bill Kelly

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Henry Fonda Theater
Los Angeles, Calif.
June 4

Midway through an extraordinary set at the tiny-for-them, 1200-cap Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers blasted into what ended up being a nearly 10 minute version of “It’s Good To Be King,” from 1994’s “Wildflowers.” It’s far from one of the band’s best-known songs – Petty must have 30 hits more well known than “It’s Good To Be King” – but for me, it was the most killer moment in a totally killer set, pulling up high school makeout memories and a particular college mix tape. It was my Tom Petty moment.

But for the guy next to me at the show – a bushy-haired man clearly at least 20 years my senior – that moment came during “The Best of Everything,” an even more obscure song from Southern Accents. The man convulsed, ridiculously, in a state of disbelief before singing along to every word.

Even Petty seemed to have his own offbeat moment of the night: before starting his way into the jangly “Kings Highway,” the shaggy-as-always, scruffy-bearded Petty leaned into the mic. “We didn’t rehearse this one,” he said. “But we’re gonna try it.”

For a man who for years has been notable as a crazily-consistent live act, leaning on his enormous catalog of hits almost exclusively to fan-frenzy arenas, this wasn’t just a departure from the norm, this was a totally out-of-body-experience. But more than that, it was a reminder that Petty’s a talent on the level of any American rock icon, alive or dead. His wealth of material extends far further than “Into The Great Wide Open” and “Free Fallin” (unplayed this night, though Ventura Boulevard was mere miles away); his deep cuts and rarities are as deserving of praise and overplay as those earworm hits.

Not only the selection of back-catalog songs stood out, though – it was the musicianship, too. Clearly, Petty’s having more fun than he has in years on this run of small theater shows (which also included a stand at the Beacon Theater in NY and continues in LA through next Tuesday). His smile was infectious throughout; his band intros meaningful and pogniant; his wah-wah chemistry with longtime guitarist/foil Mike Campbell full of embellished note bends and psych-rock runs.

His wealth of covers – 7 on this night, if you count “Tweeter and the Monkey Man” from his Travelling Wilbury’s project, but originally sung by Bob Dylan – included The Dead’s classic “Friend of The Devil,” which Petty and his band transformed from a loose-lipped bluegrass-influenced rocker to something that sounded almost like a forbear of AOR rock. The encore’s jam-through Chuck Berry’s “Carol” was a bar-band brawl, while “I Just Want To Make Love To You” – yes, the Muddy Waters song" – was just gritty enough.

So when he did break out the hits – “Here Comes My Girl” towards the beginning of the night, “Refugee” and “American Girl” at the end – it didn’t feel requisite. Rather, it was a legendary artist re-marking his rights to the top of territory, after clearly showing he deserved every inch of the climb.