Dylan is obviously a huge aficionado of the Southern California sound of the Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield and the Mamas and the Papas, which changed the world of music. Arguably, the film\u2019s highlight is Dylan\u2019s interview with Tom Petty.<\/p>\n
Dylan\u2019s chat with Petty, which was the late recording artist\u2019s last interview, is revealing. Petty came across as the ultimate fanboy when Dylan asked the late legend about the impact the Byrds had on him in 1965.<\/p>\n
\u201cTom never lost that adolescent spark when it came to music,\u201d Dylan said during a phone interview from Los Angeles. \u201cWe were so fortunate to be able to speak with him since he spoke as a student of the music, not one of the giants of the industry. It was fun speaking with him in a guitar shop for two hours after it closed and having him mess around with guitars and amps.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dylan, 56, remains a huge Petty fan. Even though Dylan\u2019s Wallflowers are on a jaunt marking the 30th anniversary of its breakthrough album \u201cBringing Down the Horse,\u201d the tour is just as much about Petty\u2019s overlooked 1982 album, \u201cLong After Dark.\u201d The band will play the Orpheum Theatre in L.A. on Tuesday, Oct. 13.<\/p>\n
![\"Jakob](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791482172_661_RPE-L-SC-D3-PHOTO-0427-10-JCM-1.jpg\")
Jakob Dylan and The Wallflowers perform on the Mustang Stage during the Stagecoach Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Contributing Photographer)<\/p>\n
Both albums will be played from start to finish. Dylan and his band play as much Petty as Wallflowers material. Good for Dylan, since Petty passed away in 2017 and the Heartbreakers don\u2019t appear likely to reunite. Petty\u2019s lifelong friend and bandmate, keyboardist Benmont Tench can\u2019t imagine dusting off the tunes the band played with his iconic pal.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot having Tom as the engine for the vehicle makes it something I can\u2019t imagine,\u201d Tench said. \u201cI think it would make me sad to walk into a room and see everybody but him and start playing those songs.\u201d<\/p>\n
So the Wallflowers breathe life into a beloved catalog and the bonus is that a light is shined on an album that is overlooked. \u201cLong After Dark\u201d followed Petty\u2019s incredibly successful \u201cDamn the Torpedoes\u201d and \u201cHard Promises\u201d albums. \u201cLong After Dark\u201d includes the synth-driven \u201cYou Got Lucky\u201d and the jangle-heavy \u201cChange of Heart.\u201d It\u2019s a solid album that slipped through the cracks.<\/p>\n
\u201cLong After Dark\u201d was released just as Dylan turned 13 and became obsessed with music.<\/p>\n
It was during the \u201980s that Bob Dylan\u2019s son was compelled to become a musician. Dylan\u2019s adolescent pals were huge music fans, but they ultimately didn\u2019t commit to life as musicians. However, it was different for Dylan. There was no other career path for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s no secret how I grew up,\u201d Dylan said. \u201cI grew up with kids who were creative back in the \u201980s. My friends took guitar and piano lessons. But their parents eventually told them to focus on something serious. I never got that memo. I\u2019ve been fortunate enough to do what I love. It\u2019s so significant. Kids dream about becoming musicians. I don\u2019t think there are any eight-year-olds who dream of working in a tower. It would be a shame to go through life and never try to do what you\u2019re passionate about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dylan tried and succeeded with the Wallflowers\u2019 second album, 1996\u2019s \u201cBringing Down the Horse.\u201d Such hit singles as \u201cOne Headlight,\u201d \u201c6th Avenue Heartache,\u201d \u201cThe Difference\u201d and \u201cThe Three Marlenas\u201d enabled the album to sell more than four million copies.<\/p>\n
Dylan was in that mid-20s sweet spot when he crafted \u201cBringing Down the Horse.\u201d Six Wallflower albums later, Dylan is middle-aged, but remains vibrant and inspired.<\/p>\n
Why shouldn\u2019t he be, since a number of aging songwriters, such as Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Dylan\u2019s father, are releasing fine work during the twilight of their careers? Bob Dylan\u2019s \u201cRough and Rowdy Ways,\u201d which was created just before Dylan reached octogenarian status, is one of his greatest albums.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not surprised by that,\u201d Dylan said. \u201cIt\u2019s wisdom through experience. There\u2019s no reason why you can\u2019t get better as a songwriter. However, rock and roll is a young man\u2019s game. There\u2019s nothing like that youthful exuberance you have as a 20-year-old. That never happens again. That\u2019s the privilege of that age. You don\u2019t know anything yet. That\u2019s why some of the most exciting music comes from kids who are so young.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791482173_816_tom-petty073.jpg\")
Tom Petty of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers seen at KAABOO 2017 at the Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, in San Diego, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n
The younger Dylan hasn\u2019t changed much over the years. He never goes through the motions onstage or during interviews, which is reminiscent of Petty, who was his father\u2019s bandmate in The Traveling Wilburys.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s true since some people do (go through the motions) but he didn\u2019t,\u201d Dylan said. \u201cI remember being on the road with Tom and the Heartbreakers. I watched Tom rest up against an amp and just close his eyes and shake his head to the music. Tom was never ambivalent, bored or pandered to an audience. He was locked in onstage. They don\u2019t make them like Tom anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dylan is doing what he can so Petty\u2019s music continues to be heard from the stage. \u201cI\u2019ve loved playing Tom\u2019s songs for years,\u201d Dylan said. \u201cI\u2019m a fan and that\u2019s a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Ed Condran, contributing writer A huge part of the appeal of Jakob Dylan\u2019s tremendous documentary on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":489449,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[2644,48,52,51,47,50,49,6998,420],"class_list":["post-489448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-concerts","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-music-concerts","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=489448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/489449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=489448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=489448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=489448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}