Tom Petty

This photo was taken in Milwaukee in 2013. Having just photographed Tom in Indianapolis just 10 days before, I was enjoying the Milwaukee show, and didn’t really need any photos because I had great shots from the Indianapolis show. Swaying back and forth in the photo pit to “So you want to be a rock and roll star”, Tom noticed I wasn’t shooting. He walked to the microphone, stopped singing, leaned on the mic and said to me with a smile, “You’re gonna get fired, man.”

I raised my camera and squeezed off this one frame.

Tom was my favorite musician, because of the way he treated photographers. He wanted to make sure we got paid, and always had a smile for me, wherever I saw him.