As one of the great live bands of all time, Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers has only ever released one official live album, the patchy Pack Up The Plantation: Live in 1986. There have been several DVD releases covering the group’s brilliant shows, and now Petty has finally given his fans what they have long been waiting for, The Live Anthology. This sprawling four-disc, 48-track boxed set covers the band’s thirty year-plus career by delving into the vaults and unearthing some blistering performances of the classics, some great album tracks, and superb covers.
Petty has spoken in press interviews of the tedious but enjoyable task of sorting through almost every show the band had played, from their mid-‘70s breakthrough gigs to their 30th anniversary trek in 2006. The decision early on by Petty to record every gig the band played turned out to be incredibly important, as this project would not have been possible without the 3,500-plus performances that these cuts were plucked from. As a result, every song on this set is played superbly, whether it’s from the late ‘70s or the mid-00’s.
No flat spots, muffled production, or ill-advised covers here to ruin anything – just 48 reminders of why this band is one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands of all time. The one thing that Tom Petty did not want this collection to be was a “Best Of played live” compilation, so there are several of the group’s finest moments absent here, but that only makes way for some fantastic surprises and extended workouts of some lesser-known gems. 
The band sounds as vigorous in their later years as they did in their heyday, with the likes of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and “Runnin’ Down A Dream” matching the intensity of “Refugee” and “Century City” blow for blow. The group’s unsung hero, keyboardist Benmont Tench, really rises to the fore on the exquisite eight-minute rendition of “Melinda” and a stellar instrumental version of “Goldfinger.” Mike Campbell’s signature (and versatile) sound is prominent throughout the entire set as he fires his way through rockers like “Surrender” and “American Girl,” before changing place and digging deep for the awesome blues of “Oh Well” and “Diddy Wah Diddy.”
The rhythm section – at various times consisting of drummers Stan Lynch and Steve Ferrone and bass players Ron Blair, Howie Epstein, and Ron Blair (again) – has always been one of the tightest and most reliable in rock, and this set just proves that point time and time again. Their sound is fleshed out by multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Scott Thurston, who after joining in the mid-‘90s has long ago proved his worth and remains a great foil for the laidback charm of his charismatic frontman.
Yep, as great as this band is, their leader is the star of the show, and whether he and his deep southern tones are singing about love (“Angel Dream [No. 2]”) or snarling and spitting his way through the agro of “Jammin’ Me,” he never loses the emotion of the moment nor the ability to deliver the goods when he needs to pull out all the stops (“American Girl.”) So whether it’s a frantic, psychotic workout of “Mystic Eyes” or a touching moment of introspection with “Square One,” Petty’s unwavering conviction never deserts him.
I could ramble on and on about just how great this band is, but I really don’t need to, suffice to say that The Live Anthology is some of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll I have ever heard, and with a new studio album in the works and a tour planned (hopefully one that travels outside of the States), there will hopefully be more greatness to come.