Go ahead and melt my face off, Whiskey Myers.
On a tour stop in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre last night, they brought the heat with an incredible cover of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers “Refugee.”
Released as the second single from their 1979 Damn the Torpedoes record, the song peaked at #15 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1980, but became a fan-favorite and one of their best songs nonetheless.
Honestly, I was a little worried all day leading up to the concert that we’d end up having a crazy thunderstorm and have to push back or reschedule the show, because it’s been so damn hot and humid, which can make for some wild weather in the evenings.
And while it did end up torrentially downpouring at the very end of the show when they started playing this cover to close out the night, with a little bit of lightning lighting up the dark sky, it ended up being one of those magical concert moments I’ll never forget.
I got completely drenched and had eyelashes sliding down my face (tragic, I know), but it was well worth it and I’m completely obsessed with their cover.
I mean, seriously… you can never go wrong with a little Tom Petty:
The band is currently out on the road for their Tornillo tour in support of their forthcoming sixth studio album, Tornillo, that’s slated to drop at the end of this month on July 29th.
Do yourself a massive favor and get to a show if they’ll be anywhere near you on the second half of this run.
Remaining Tornillo Tour Dates:
July 9 Raleigh, N.C. | Red Hat Amphitheater
July 10 Portsmouth, Va. | Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion
July 12 Manteo, N.C. | Roanoke Island Festival Park
July 14 Dothan, Ala. | National Peanut Festival
July 15 Cocoa, Fla. | Cocoa Riverfront Park
July 16 Pompano Beach, Fla. | Pompano Beach Amphitheater
July 17 St. Augustine, Fla. | The St. Augustine Amphitheatre
July 29 + Corpus Christi, Texas | Concrete Street Amphitheater
August 4 Missoula, Mont. | Big Sky Amphitheater
August 5 Billings, Mont. | Magic City Blues Festival
August 7 Boise, Idaho | Outlaw Fields at Idaho Botanical Gardens
August 11 Grand Junction, Colo. | Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park
August 12 Sandy, Utah | Sandy Amphitheater
August 13 Cheyenne, Wyo. | The Chinook at Terry Bison Ranch
The Tom Petty original version of “Refugee”:
