The weather turned out to be quite good for an outdoor show for September in Chicago. There was almost no wind, which isn’t common on the lakefront, and it wasn’t too cold. The seats were perhaps three-quarters full for The Strokes, and the air around me was quite heavy with smoke of questionable origin. The Strokes put on a pretty basic stage show, though I’m sorry to say I missed their opening because of parking hassles (you know who you are, blond woman with the big head and loud mouth). Lead singer Julian Casablancas has a mellow, deep voice that is somewhat of a juxtaposition to the mainly upbeat sounds coming from the rest of the band. In between songs, Casablancas kept saying that he wished he could get off the stage in a hurry so he could hear Tom Petty. As the show progressed, I found myself starting to agree with him.

I enjoyed what I heard at first. A lot of the tunes are catchy, but the more I heard, the more the sound began to get on my nerves. I know that many, many people will disagree with me here, but I have to say it: The Strokes’ sound is roughly the same for each and every song. The tempo doesn’t often change, and Casablancas’ voice is only good for maybe four songs before you just need to hear something else. By the time they reached their radio hit “Juice Box,” I was itching to leave my seat. I found the drummer’s clear kit disillusioning, almost as if he were beating on plain buckets, and the guitarist with the afro’s technique is so tight and technical that I felt a little bad watching him. Even though I was only a few rows away, I kept my eyes on the overhead screens all the while wondering if it was maybe a flaw of my generation or just a flaw in myself that I was watching TV while the real thing was right in front of me.

It’s true that The Strokes are good, but as far as I’m concerned, only in small doses.

During the short break, the stadium filled to nigh capacity as Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ appearance became imminent. There was obvious excitement as most people were on their feet even before Petty took the stage. Some DJ’s from The Loop radio station came out and announced, whether seriously or as a joke I have no idea, that Mayor Daley declared the day to be the official Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers day.

Petty and the rest of the band appeared on stage without any glamour. There were no curtains or smoke, and the high definition screens overhead were the only extravagance in the show. Despite that, people were dancing in the aisles while Petty opened with several famous songs including “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and “I Won’t Back Down,” after which he blew the audience kisses. (I would like to point out here that Petty’s guitarist Mike Campbell looks suspiciously like Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell. Hmm…)

The show contained several blues tunes and even a cover by Chuck Berry, as well as several tracks from Petty’s new album Highway Companion. All of the songs were performed flawlessly and Petty’s stage presence combined with audience reaction, truly made him seem like a musical legend.

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