|
• All Feature Articles
Canadian Clayton Bellamy Pays Tribute to Tom Petty in Nashville
by Rich and Laura Lynch
Canadian Clayton Bellamy is a Juno award-winning and platinum selling recording artist who - along with an all star band - presented "The Legendary Life Of Tom Petty" at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville Tennessee on March 07, 2025. The show was billed as a heart-breaking and heart-warming production and it was also a reminder of how much many of us still miss TP.
Clayton Bellamy presented The Legendary Life Of Tom Petty in Nashville.
Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950 – October 2, 2017) was the founder and frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He also enjoyed success as a solo artist and collaborated with the likes of Bob Dylan and many more. Over the course of his career, Petty sold millions of records worldwide and was one of the best-selling musicians of all time.
"It's not so much a tribute to where I'm pretending to be Tom Petty," Bellamy told Channel 2 New in advance of his concert in Music City. "It's an established artist representing the music and telling the stories behind the songs and parts of his life."
Bellamy was the established artist who is widely known in the Great White North as a member of The Road Hammers, the highest selling Canadian Country group in Canadian history. Clayton, together with his talented team in traditional Heartbreaker five-piece format performed a bunch of Petty's best loved songs on Friday night in Nashville. The tribute was presented in the form of a concert that was a musical and visual exploration into the life of TP that unfolded with the highlights created over the course of Petty's life.
Bellamy - like the rest of the Heartbreaker fans - still misses Tom Petty.
They opened strong with "American Girl" followed by "Running Down A Dream" - after all Tom ran down his dream of becoming a musician soon after being exposed to Elvis at an early age. Bellamy alluded to the fact that Petty had a tough childhood and that pain would find its way into TP's relatable storytelling. Next, "Don't Do Me Like That" paired with "The Waiting" touched upon the challenges of life and relationships. Clayton reminded us that back in 1987 an arsonist tried to kill Petty and his family - a scary part of being a star. However, Tom responded with the powerful anthem "I Won't Back Down".
Petty penned plenty of hits for himself throughout his magical career. Yet, his tunes for others, including - "Ways to Be Wicked" (Lone Justice), "You Got It" (Roy Orbison) and "King of the Hill" (Roger McGuinn) - also had the golden touch. His most famous duet - "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" which appeared on the Bella Donna album by Stevie Nicks and featured the two trading lead vocals on that 1981 classic - was on display at the Schermerhorn with the help of the talented Stacey Evans who was making her Nashville debut on the big stage.
Bellamy - who is also an actor, producer, radio host and philanthropist - told the fans in attendance that he moved to town as a 16 year old to hone his craft and compete on a local talent show. He ended up spending half of his life here before returning to Alberta to continue his music career as the frontman for the hard rocking band The Congregation and in the trio The Road Hammers. Clayton said the Symphony was the nicest local room he has played yet after working many long nights up and down Broadway during his time here as a resident Nashvillian.
Of course they were going to drag out "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" with Stacey as Stevie.
There was a few covers played including the set closer of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" as a song of mourning and a reminder that Tom was in the super group The Traveling Wilburys (1988-1991) with the former Beatle. Also, in tribute was an original number called "I Miss Tom Petty" that featured great lyrics reflecting on how much of an influence TP was. This track was a co-write with Tim Hicks, Clayton Bellamy, Dan Davidson and Clayton's version featured more soulful vocals than the country tinged version available online sung by Hicks. The tune was also commemorated in a sweet looking $45 t-shirt that was available for sale in the Schermerhorn lobby.
"It's an honor and a burden to play Tom Petty," shared Clayton during the encore as they closed out with more classics including an initially stripped down "Southern Accents" and a high-flying version of the fan favorite "Free Falling". Throughout the show clips, photos and videos were used to tell Tom's tale paired with well-played versions of several of TP's biggest hits. It was all good yet a reminder that we really miss Tom Petty who is still very much alive through his body of work and artists such as Clayton Bellamy.
The Schermerhorn Symphony Center continues to present a variety of shows such as "The Legendary Life Of Tom Petty". Centrally located in downtown Nashville this elegant venue which opened in 2006, hosts classical, jazz, pop, operas, rock and world musicians. Please check their website for a complete list of upcoming events.
It was a good night to celebrate the great life of the much loved Tom Petty.
Related Links:
For more information on CLAYTON BELLAMY and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -
Clayton Bellamy |
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Hit the Ground Running in Nashville |
Mudcrutch is Clutch in Rare Appearance at the Ryman |
Nashville Symphony
|
