Bob Dylan says goodbye to Tom Petty

I was moved to see a video of Bob Dylan performing the late Tom Petty's 'Learning to Fly' at his show on 21st October, a day after what would have been Tom's 67th birthday.

Bob and Tom go back a long way: in the midst of the difficult decade that was the 1980s, Dylan teamed up with Petty and his band The Heartbreakers for the inaugural Farm Aid event in 1985. The partnership proved so fruitful that Bob and Tom stayed together, staging successful tours in both 1986 and 1987. In 1988, Petty and Dylan formed the Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne, releasing an album that year and a follow-up (minus Orbison, who passed away in December 1988) in 1990.  Dylan and Petty shared the stage for the final time in 2003.

More importantly than what they achieved together as musicians, Dylan and Petty appear to have enjoyed a close and genuine friendship. When Bob performed 'Learning to Fly' on 21st October - putting a huge amount of care into his singing - it was as if he was saying goodbye to his friend, while fondly recalling the good times they had shared. I am sure Tom heard, and I am sure he approved.