The Dirty Knobs

I had a chance to see Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs in Denver last week. It was a special occasion for me. I last saw Mike in action in 2017 at the Hollywood Bowl. That was part of Tom Petty’s final tour and the second-to-last show ever. No one was as surprised as me that Tom would pass away a mere 10 days later…

Anyways, I think my experience with The Heartbreakers led me to not take chances on missing out on The Dirty Knobs. So much so that I bought my way backstage to meet the group.

I love this picture. But it also kills me because you might notice that Steve Ferone (second from the left) is gripping a marker and sitting in front of three more. I went in with my trusty (and dusty) vinyl of The Heartbreaker’s first album, already signed by Tom Petty. I knew Mike would be there and, yes, he was mighty kind (and seemed to be genuinely excited) to sign it. Ferone wasn’t in the band for that record, but he was from 1994, onwards. A Heartbreaker is a Heartbreaker, right? Sign it!

But I didn’t ask. I’m not exactly the type of fella who gets starstruck in the presence of celebrity — come over and I’ll tell you some stories! — but I sure was at that very moment. I was utterly incapable of saying anything to the guys other than thanking them for, you know, being them. I kept it short and sweet. Handshakes, a few hey’s, and dang you guys have done so much for me and you don’t even know it. I literally told them to break a leg out there.

The handshakes are what threw me. After shaking hands with Ferone and Campbell, I was suddenly struck by the reality that these guys are direct links to all of my heroes. George Harrison and Jeff Lynne recorded in Campbell’s makeshift home studio during the Full Moon Fever sessions. Ferone was Clapton’s drummer (and Slash’s, too!). The Heartbreakers were Dylan’s backing band in ’86 and Johnny Cash’s backing band for his Unchained album. Ringo played with Mike on Wildflowers.

Those hands have felt a lot of history, man. And it knocked me flat out.

Doesn’t matter. The show was everything I hoped it would be and then some. And being close enough to hear Campbell’s foot stomping on his pedals was enough to make me feel like a kid again.

They played Petty songs, of course, but only deep tracks which I thought was an awfully kind treat. “Makin’ Some Noise”, “Don’t Fade On Me”, “You Wreck Me”, “All or Nothin'”, “Ways to be Wicked”… damn, I feel spoiled.

The Dirty Knobs are on a co-headlining tour with Lucinda Williams — who, coincidentally was the opener at the Hollywood Bowl show I attended — but this was a one-off date without Lucinda in tow. Instead, we had a helluva fine singer in Shannon McNally. Think Brandi Carlile sitting in a gritty saloon in some remote desert town, style-wise. I loved her and picked up her LP of Waylon Jennings covers at her booth after the show. Worth it.

The whole dang show was worth it — starstruck moments and all.