Tom Petty tribute in Akron to showcase 'Wildflowers'; St. Paul flies with 'Peter Pan Jr.'

Tom Petty tribute show will feature Canton area musicians

Ryan Humbert is an unabashed fan of Tom Petty's 1994 album, "Wildflowers."

The Shootouts frontman said it's a "desert island disc for me."

"I wanted to pay tribute to this incredible masterpiece of an album," he said in advance of the tribute show set for 8 p.m. May 21 at Goodyear Theater in Akron.

Tickets are $20 and $25 and available at www.goodyeartheater.com and www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 330-253-2488.

"Won't Back Down: N.E.O. Celebrates the Music of Tom Petty" features a list of the Akron-Canton area's most notable musicians – Jackie Popovec and Rick Deak of The Vindys; Cody J. Martin; Corey King of The Ohio Weather Band; Jeff Klemm; Brian Lisik; Tracey Thomas; Shanna Delaney; and Marc Lee Shannon, who is known both for his solo work and time with Michael Stanley and The Resonators.

Humbert, of North Canton, also will sing lead vocals on several songs, while joining the house band on guitar and harmony vocals. The band features John Anthony (The Vindys) on guitar; Erin Vaughn, guitar; Paul Lewis, bass; Ed Davis (The Vindys) on drums; Emily Bates (The Shootouts), harmony vocals; and Ben Evans on keys.

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Set one will feature all 15 songs from the album, front to back, plus one bonus tune. Highlights from the critically acclaimed "Wildflowers" include "You Don't Know How It Feels," "You Wreck Me," "Cabin Down Below," "House in the Woods" and "Crawling Back to You."

Set two of the tribute show will draw on an eclectic mix of Petty's most well-known songs, including, "Mary Jane's Last Dance," "Refugee," "Yer So Bad," "The Waiting," "Runnin' Down a Dream," "Breakdown" and others.

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The entire concert will total 30 songs, said Humbert, who is hosting and producing the show. Set two also finishes with a grand finale featuring all of the guest artists onstage together.

The show also will benefit 91.3 The Summit's Marilyn Stroud Music Alive Program. The program provides refurbished instruments to underprivileged area students. Attendees to the concert are encouraged to bring a new or gently-used instrument to donate at the Summit table in the lobby.

King, frontman of The Ohio Weather Band, originally based in Alliance, said he'll be performing "It's Good to Be King" and "Learning to Fly."

"For the most part, I plan to stick to the songs as they are as far as structure or sound," the 31-year-old Akron resident said. "However, whenever I play someone else's song, I do like to play with the energy, delivery, cadence ... which ultimately, does make it unique. That's something, for me, that just happens naturally when covering a song, and I'm glad it does."

A longtime Petty fan, King recalls the "Wildflowers" album from his elementary school days.

"I used to rummage through all of my dad's albums when I was a kid. He had a nice collection of some good stuff. CDs and cassette tapes mostly. 'Wildflowers' was one of them. When I found that album, I latched on pretty hard."

"What I love most about Tom is his songwriting," King said. "He's managed to deliver so many relatable, catchy, interesting and well-crafted songs while keeping it simple. In most cases, there's never too much going on, and at the same time, you're not wanting more. It's always just right..."

Martin said he's performed at previous Tom Petty tribute events organized by Humbert.

"I'll be happy to share the experience with all these great performers once again," said Martin, of North Canton and formerly of Massillon.

"Growing up with classic rock radio stations meant hearing a lot of Tom Petty," the 30-year-old singer-songwriter said. "You can’t help but form a tight connection to the attitude in those songs. They sort of become your friend in a way. Always there when you need them the most."

St. Paul students fly in 'Peter Pan Jr.'

Students at St. Paul Catholic School in North Canton took to the stage and air to perform "Peter Pan Jr." last week at the Canton Palace Theatre.

"Peter Pan Jr." was directed by Lisa Knight and Taylor Bond, and it was performed by the St. Paul Theatre Company.

The production followed a two-year hiatus and featured a cast of more than 50 students in grades fourth through eighth.

The Indiana-based "Flying by Troy" was hired to train and assist some of the children with incorporating flight scenes into the play.

Acting roles included Katie Dever, 14, as Peter Pan; Charlotte Raketich, eighth grade, as Wendy Darling; Shepard Mitchell, fifth grade, as John Darling; Allie Dietrich, sixth grade, as Michael Darling; Sophia Mathie, eighth grade, as Captain Hook; Barrett Miller, eighth grade, as Smee; and Addison Haupt, eighth grade, as Tiger Lily.

Dever has been performing on the St. Paul stage since first grade when she was Molly in "Annie."

"Peter Pan Jr." is her 26th production on stages throughout Northeast Ohio. She is currently rehearsing for a production of "Legally Blonde Jr., The Musical" in an off-Broadway theatre in New York City that will be performed in June.

Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com. On Twitter: @ebalintREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Tom Petty tribute concert in Akron showcases 'WIldflowers' album