The Dirty Knobs
April 28, 2022
Trees
Dallas, TX
Review and Photos by Terry Walsh
The Dirty Knobs Leave An Impressionable Show In Deep Ellum!
It’s funny... The most memorable shows are often the one’s you weren’t expecting.
Add a venue with a long history of epic concerts and the potential for a magical night is high. That’s exactly what happened when Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs visited Trees in Dallas on Tuesday night. A night of great musicianship from Mike Campbell is the last of any concertgoer’s concern.
His legacy with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and songwriting resume speaks volumes. Stepping out as a bandleader in his own right? Who knew? Not only did Mike Campbell prove a capable front man, but an engaging and affable one as well.
Campbell’s band project, The Dirty Knobs released their debut, Wreckless Abandon in 2020. A 2020 tour was planned, but 2020 had other ideas... Fast forward to 2022 and the band is touring behind their debut and recent release, External Combustion, for the first time. With a startlingly similar voice to Tom Petty, Campbell delivered songs like “Dirty Job,” “Don’t Knock the Boogie” and seasoned Tom Petty classics like “ Southern Accents”and “Runnin’ Down a Dream” with an authenticity and a style all his own. The audience was even treated to a fun sing-a-long for the highly relatable “F**k That Guy” from their debut.
On top of that, the band included founding Heartbreaker (some would say heartbeat) Stan Lynch on drums. Playing together for the first time in years, the bond and joy between Campbell and Lynch was clear to see throughout the night.
The beauty of a venue such as Trees is the intimacy. The audience members are fans and the energy between them and performer elevates the experience for all. That was clear throughout the show as the audience and band seemed to feed off one another.
In the coming months, Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs will be performing in arenas with Chris Stapleton. Don’t be surprised if the future sees them headlining arenas themselves. There’s a reason why the Toto’s and Journey’s of the world are still LIVE. Tonight was proof.
If you get a chance to see this band in an intimate setting like Trees, DON’T miss it. A shout out to Kendall at SacksCo for his help getting JAM into this show!
