10 Biggest Shows In Rock History

As the '80s went on, there wasn't really any reason for Tom Petty to open shows anymore. Being the heartland rock superstar, his hits like Don't Do Me Like That and You Got Lucky were more than enough to fill a stadium full of people. In fact, there's probably only one act Petty would have opened for...and we got our answer in 1986.

With Bob Dylan going on his True Confessions tour, the absence of the Band prompted him to draft in Petty and the rest of the Heartbreakers to serve as his backing band. Already a lifelong Dylan fan, Petty committed immediately, with the rest of the band quickly following suit. For as much as it may have been fun to see the heartland rocker playing off the musical legend, these shows have also gone down in history as some of the most difficult the Heartbreakers have had to do.

As Petty and his backing group has said, Dylan's willingness to experiment would cause him to snap on a dime, doing everything from casually changing the key of the song to switching the time signature a few minutes before they actually play the tune in question. One specific instance shows the band hyping up Knockin on Heaven's Door, only to slow everything back down at the slightest motion of Dylan's hand. For as many road dog stripes the Heartbreakers may have had under their belt, this is the epitome of musicians onstage, playing for their lives.