Duane Olsen has listened to Tom Petty’s music for more than 40 years, and the way he celebrated Petty’s 67th birthday was no different.
The 53-year-old watched dozens of musicians cover nearly all of Petty’s discography — from his bands Mudcrutch and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to his solo career — during a tribute concert Friday. Heavy Petty, a Petty tribute band, closed the night. About 1,500 people in attendance, including parents, children and music-lovers, danced, swayed and sang along.
“It’s a beautiful thing. There’s a lot of beautiful people here and a lot of friendliness,” Olsen said.
Dave Melosh, one of the owners of Heartwood Soundstage, located at 619 S. Main St., and Jason Hedges, the lead singer of Heavy Petty, started planning the tribute concert a few days after Petty’s death in early October. Melosh offered his venue, and about 25 people volunteered to organize the event.
“(Petty) is really the person who shined a light on Gainesville as a music town,” Melosh said. “Seeing the outpour of grief from people when they lost him showed he was more than just a celebrity, he was someone who they really considered family. This was needed.”
Posters and T-shirts that read, “birthday bash” and featured a similar logo to the design of the Petty tribute on the 34th Street Wall were available in limited quantities.
Orlando artist Andrew Spear painted a mural of Petty behind the stage.
“I love the music. I love all these musicians,” Olsen said. “Every one of these people is awesome, but I’ve really enjoyed watching the mural being painted at the same time.”
Though the event was free to attend, many chose to donate to MusiCares, a charity from The Recording Academy that provides medical, financial and personal services to musicians in need.
Melosh said he would like to make the tribute an annual show.
A day after, John Denny, the co-owner of First Magnitude Brewing Company, located at 1220 SE Veitch St., hosted an event at the brewery to remember the musical legend that had personal ties to Gainesville.
Denny said he moved to Gainesville as a freshman in college, and he couldn’t wait to live off U.S. 441, or 13th Street, the road Petty wrote about in his songs.
“I’m just so proud that we’ve been able to provide a venue for this celebration,” Denny said.
About 1,000 people, including childhood friends and family of Petty, stopped by the brewery to watch the live music in the beer garden, which included bands like The Impostors, the Mudpies and Heavy Petty from noon to 6 p.m. The bar distributed 450 free tickets online.
Zoey Hendrickson, a Florida State University biology senior, was raised on Petty songs in her hometown, Gainesville. Hendrickson sat in the beer garden and listened to her favorite song, “Free Fallin’,” since she never got to hear it live from Petty himself.
“It’s a good community builder,” the 21-year-old said. “It’s nice to remember good people this way, plus his music was so good.”
Jessica Giles contributed to this report.
Lead singer Jason Hedges of Heavy Petty, a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tribute band, gets the crowd excited during the Tom Petty tribute show held at Heartwood Soundstage, located at 619 S. Main St., on Friday night. That day would have been Tom Petty’s 67th birthday. Hundreds of Gainesville locals came to the free event to celebrate the life of the local musician.
