Tom Petty Show Cut Short by Fire Marshal

Music News | Rolling Stone: About ninety minutes into the set at L.A.'s Fonda Theatre, following a sterling cover of the Grateful Dead’s "Friend Of The Devil," Petty announced from the stage that he had been summoned to the side and warned by the fire marshal that the floor was a hundred people over capacity. Everything seemed fine as he jokingly asked if a hundred people wanted to voluntarily head upstairs or leave, and even some of the Heartbreakers joined in the fun, raising their hands for an early departure. Petty then said, "I’ve done my job, now I’m gonna do what I do best." And with that, the night continued with a rousing extended "Melinda." That would turn out to be the last song of the night, however, for as much as Petty tried to play off the warning in good spirits, even he acknowledged that fire marshals don't have much of a sense of humor.