Tom Petty's Mudcrutch Reunites in San Francisco

It was a whole different ballgame for Tom Petty Wednesday night as he played to a sold-out crowd at the intimate Fillmore in San Francisco. For one thing, Petty was on bass. For another, he let other people in his band sing as he backed up their songs. It was just the third Mudcrutch gig since the band split in the mid-'70s and Petty formed the Heartbreakers from its ashes. "We're all having a marvelous time having the band back," Petty told the crowd to loud cheers. Voicing his satisfaction with being able to return to the Fillmore -- a historic ballroom that helped launch the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and others -- Petty said that when the band asked, "Where can we play this hippie music?" he replied, "I've got an idea!"

Mudcrutch -- which also features Mike Campbell (guitar) and Benmont Tench (keyboards) from the Heartbreakers -- doesn't sound shockingly different from the Heartbreakers, but the band does have a lot more twang in its step and the twin guitars makes for some saucy interplay, especially on the Grateful Dead-tinged 'Crystal River.' At the Fillmore show, the band performed every song from its upcoming album and threw in covers by Bob Dylan, Bill Monroe, Eddie Cochran and Jerry Lee Lewis. Maybe you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but if your name is Tom Petty, you can always return to that old time rock 'n' roll.