Tom Petty‘s longtime sideman Mike Campbell paid tribute to his late boss on Thursday at a show in central Ohio. The concert at the Midland Theatre in Newark by Campbell and his band The Dirty Knobs featured an array of Petty classics sprinkled in with Campbell originals and early ’50s and ’60s rock n’ roll.
While Campbell is best known for backing Petty in the Heartbreakers and co-writing many of Tom’s hits like “Refugee”, “Runnin’ Down A Dream”, “Here Comes My Girl”, and more, he has also kept The Dirty Knobs going since 2000. Campbell has described his solo band as a less-polished version of Petty’s iconic country rock, borrowing more from early ’60s influences like The Kinks and The Animals. After Petty passed away unexpectedly in 2017, Campbell shifted more of his attention toward The Dirty Knobs. The band finally released its debut album in 2020, with a new album following every two years since. Their third, Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits, arrived last month and features contributions from Chris Stapleton, Graham Nash, and Lucinda Williams.
In Newark, Campbell delivered a seasoned blend of Dirty Knobs songs along with Petty singalongs like “Listen to Heart”, “All or Nothin'”, and “I Need to Know”. Along the way, vocalists Shannon McNally and Holly B intermittently joined in to back him up throughout the 18-song set. For the encore, Campbell and the Dirty Knobs cruised through early rock n’ roll history with Eddie Cochran‘s “Summertime Blues”, The Dave Clark Five‘s “Anyway You Want It”, The Valentinos‘ “It’s All Over Now”, and Chuck Berry‘s “Little Queenie” before closing out with Petty’s iconic “You Wreck Me”.
Check out a gallery of images from Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs in Newark, OH courtesy of photographer Lindsey McCutchan along with fan-shot videos by BCollen15. Campbell and The Dirty Knobs are off the road until September when they link up with Lucinda Williams for a ten-show run. Visit Campbell’s website for tickets and a full list of tour dates.
Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, Shannon McNally, Holly B — “You Wreck Me” (Tom Petty) — 7/11/24
Setlist: Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs | Midland Theatre | Newark, OH | 7/11/24
Set: Angel of Mercy, Dirty Job, So Alive, Dare to Dream, Listen to Her Heart (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Fuck That Guy, Innocent Man, Don’t Wait Up, Hell or High Water [1], Hands Are Tied, Shake These Blues, Band introductions/stories, I Still Love You, All or Nothin’ (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), I Need to Know [2] (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Sugar, In This Lifetime, Southern Boy
Encore: Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran), Anyway You Want It (The Dave Clark Five), It’s All Over Now (The Valentinos), Little Queenie (Chuck Berry), You Wreck Me [1] [2] (Tom Petty)
[1] w/ Shannon McNally
[2] w/ Holly B
