âBob Dylan and Tom Petty trade riffs at Athletic Park, Wellington, February 5, 1986.â âBob Dylan and Tom Pettyâs clamorous practice session before their 1986 show at Athletic Park almost cost the pair the gig. It was Dylan, Petty and his Heartbreakers first time playing together and the under-rehearsed musicians drew the ire of residents after a âlong and loudâ warm-up two nights before the February 5 show. Promoters were threatened with cancellation by Wellington City Council, The Evening Post reported. But the show went ahead in what Post reviewer Anne Hogan said â despite a drug overdose and a handful of arrests â was one of the most ârelaxed, casual shows the park has seen⊠like a couple of friends having a jam.â The only sharp words in Hoganâs breezy review were reserved for Dylanâs fading features and dirty demeanour. âHe is hitting 45 now and itâs starting to show. And it seems sad that he appears so paranoid, miserable and incapable of a smile.â Rolling Stone critic Anthony DeCurtis, who covered the Australasian tour for the magazine, was not quite as impressed by the music, nor the 20,000 fans.Â
The two-and-a-half-hour set didnât catch fire [for the crowd] until Petty lit the blaze three-quarters of the way through with an extended version of âRefugee.â It seems the real show happened at the after party. âAfter the show, Dylan and the gang repaired to the Park Royal Hotel, where, shortly after midnight, Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench commandeered the piano at the hotel bar for an impromptu songfest that featured Dylan, Petty, Stevie Nicks (who was backstage at the show) and backup singer Debra Byrd,â DeCurtis wrote.â - Stuff (New Zealand), 2015