Concert review: Petty Theft at the Idle Rich Pub in Dallas (September 6)

There were a few choice cuts that reminded the crowd that the band members are here to entertain and not impersonate the Grammy Award-winning idols.

When was the last time you saw Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers? Perhaps too long. What if I told you they made an unscheduled appearance in Dallas? While Petty never booked a flight to North Texas on Sunday night, Dallas-based cover band Petty Theft jammed through many of the icon’s most scintillating anthems before a packed house at The Idle Rich Pub in Uptown.

The duo of Mike Rhyner (of Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket fame) and Bill Porter helped kick off the festivities with a soaring Hendrix-like guitar instrumental cover version of "Amazing Grace." They followed with an emotionally triumphant version of "Listen To Her Heart." The band’s stellar version was delivered without any flaws as Rhyner’s vocals left the audience speechless and grooving from their nearest bar stool.

Petty Theft pleased classic-rock lovers with up-tempo renditions of Petty’s huge hits "Refugee" and "Yer So Bad," featuring a dynamic combination of battering ram style percussion and fierce guitar rhythms. The crowd awakened from their brew-induced stupor to cheer on the band inches from the stage.

There were a few choice cuts that reminded the crowd that the band members are here to entertain and not impersonate the Grammy Award-winning idols. "Learning To Fly" was played at such a rapid-fire pace that it caused both vocalists (Rhyner and Harrison Calhoun) to sing off-pitch and make a few gaffes on the lyrics. "Don’t Do Me Like That" was sonically executed perfectly, but the vocalists failed to deliver the same galvanized punch that Petty and his Heartbreakers have delivered for decades.

But fans couldn’t have been more delighted to catch up with close friends and relax during the long Labor Day weekend with a bunch of stellar anthems from one of America’s most famed classic rock band.