One of the many things that separates the 54-year-old Florida native from other legendary artists is that Petty manages to evoke nostalgia without coming across like a nostalgia act. Go see The Who, Earth, Wind & Fire, Brian Wilson or, really, just about any other still-enjoyable act and you'll see and hear the difference.

That's partly because he's one of the very few so-called classic-rock artists who has continued to put out solid material throughout his entire career. He's a 30-year veteran with basically no holes in his catalog. It's hard to think of even one other act that can claim that feat.

As if to prove my point, Petty's show on Saturday--the second half of a sold-out, two-night stand at the venue--was highlighted by memorable songs from the '70s, '80s, '90s and, even, this decade.

Kicking off with a tight version of "Listen to Her Heart" (from 1978's "You're Gonna Get It!"), the six-piece Heartbreakers quickly rocked through "You Don't Know How It Feels" (from 1994's "Wildflowers"), "Breakdown" (from the band's eponymous, 1976 debut), "Don't Do Me Like That" (from 1979's "Damn the Torpedos") and "Free Fallin'" (from the 1989 solo offering "Full Moon Fever").

Petty sounded particularly strong on this night, and the Heartbreakers, as usual, did their best to lay claim to the title of best backing band in rock. Out of all the musicians--including Petty himself--guitarist Mike Campbell did the best job in making the earth move with rocking leads on "Refugee" and the main-set closer "Runnin' Down a Dream," which might have registered on the twitchy seismographs in the area.

Members of this beer-guzzling crowd who were looking for a suitable time to take a bathroom break--say, during a throwaway performance of a mediocre track--simply didn't get one. Petty made sure that if crowd members missed something, they missed something good, as he continued through such solid selections as "Learning to Fly" and "Don't Come Around Here No More."

It was like the band's greatest-hits package had come to life as the Heartbreakers plowed through the likes of "I Won't Back Down," "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and "An American Girl." Only, in this case, it was a best-of collection with a few bonus tracks. The group did an admirable job handling covers of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and Van Morrison's "Gloria." It also scored with a new song, "Melinda," which is currently found only on the concert DVD "Soundstage."

The Black Crowes [ tickets ] opened the show with a fiery, Southern-rock drenched set that, unfortunately, suffered from a muddy sound mix. The music, however, was clear enough to show why there has been a revival of interest in this band. People are still buzzing about the Crowes' five-night stand at the Fillmore in San Francisco in early August. Given their showing at the Greek, I'm sorry I missed it.