BREAKDOWN! Dayton musicians pay tribute to Tom Petty this weekend

Tom Petty just always seemed to be there. He was a consistent figure in rock ’n’ roll since the mid-1970s, scoring a record-setting 28 Top 10 hits on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Chart. While Petty left this plane of existence in 2017, his music lives on through classic radio support, Spotify plays and analog spins on personal turntables. The Florida native’s songs have also been kept alive by musicians he inspired, including Trey Stone and the Petty Thieves, paying tribute to his music with Breakdown! at Yellow Cab Tavern in Dayton on Saturday, Sept. 29.

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“One of the cool things to come out of this is people I didn’t realize were Petty fans started revealing themselves,” show organizer Shelly Hulce said. “Nobody really had cause to talk about much other than he was coming to town or releasing a new album but Petty fans should be excited about this show.

“Breakdown! is not a re-enactment show,” she continued. “This is a night of people that were influenced by one guy getting together, singing the songs and having fun. We’re not trying to recreate anything. It’s an observance of his passing. It’s supposed to be fun. I don’t want any of the musicians stressed about it at all.”

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The core band for the show is the Petty Thieves, a new side project headed by Trey Stone (vocals, rhythm guitar). The group also features Patrick Himes (lead guitar), Jimmy D. Rogers (keyboards), Ben Cooper (bass) and Steve Phelps (drums).

Local musician Trey Stone and his new band Petty Thieves are paying tribute to Tom Petty’s music with Breakdown! at Yellow Cab Tavern in Dayton on Saturday, Sept. 29. CONTRIBUTED

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“I heard they were doing the Petty shows in Cincinnati,” Hulce said. “I was like, ‘Oh, we could so do that here.’ I put it up on Facebook and a lot of people were interested. Then Trey contacted me and told me he was putting the Petty Thieves together. I asked if he wanted to make this a showcase to launch them to do other shows. We’ll have some guests come in and make a big night out of it. Trey liked the idea.”

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BREAKDOWN! Local musicians to pay tribute to Tom Petty on Sept. 29 at Yellow Cab Tavern in Dayton.

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The Petty Thieves will be joined by special guests such as Tod Weidner, Sharon Lane, Tim Pritchard and David Payne.

“A lot of these musicians coming in have already been doing Petty songs for a long time so they know this stuff inside and out,” Hulce said. “We’re not going in chronological order or anything. There’s a good mix of songs for hardcore Petty fans and people who are more casual fans. It’s mostly the hits but there are some deep cuts in there that real Petty fans are all going to freak out over.”


WANT TO GO?

What: Breakdown! A Celebration of Tom Petty with Trey Stone and the Petty Thieves with special guests

Where: Yellow Cab Tavern, 700 E. Fourth St., Dayton

When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29

Cost: $10 in advance, $15 day of show

More info: 937-424-3870 or www.yellowcabtavern.com

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