One Moment Of Sheer Joy!

Sunday's Superbowl was the most watched in history. There should be more Superbowls like this one. What a game and what a day.....but there is one moment that for some reason has really stayed with me.

I can't sit here and tell you that I am a big Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers fan. I grew up enjoying their music. I know the words as you do, but I don't own a single CD from them....never have. When they were chosen to do the halftime show, I don't know of one person that was really excited by that news. We all knew what was coming. 4 or 5 songs we could predict he would sing. We weren't ready for the beard Tom was sporting, the suit he was wearing, and what was up with that gigantic guitar he was playing in the first song? Petty's solid performance was typical of Superbowl halftime shows over the past four years since the Janet Jackson debacle..... but the seconds following the last song were anything but.

When done, Tom Petty and his Heartbreakers gave us a moment. After the final song he and all his band came out front with arms around each other and strode to the front of the stage. What began as a great camera shot on Fox became much more to me as a viewer. On occasion there are pictures suitable for framing....and this was one of them. I think what I saw on all of the Heartbreakers faces was sheer joy!

Every one of those guys had 50 emotions on his face for those fleeting seconds. 57 year old Petty (that's right) even sincerely thanked the crowd. They ALL looked so happy, so awed, thankful, and appreciative. These guys who have been together for three plus decades, I feel totally "got" the moment. I felt so good for them. That picture proved to me that they completely understood they just did something that NO one else will ever get to do in reality. They were regular guys standing on the worlds largest stage for a day. Their faces spoke "thank you for today, thank you for 30 years, thank you for this chance, thank you for your applause, and most of all for this moment." And I couldn't have been happier for them!

I can't imagine that when Tom Petty put his Heartbreakers together in the mid 70's he could ever have dreamed this big. I haven't lost perspective here. I understand the Superbowl gig isn't the ultimate concert experience. But what I DO understand is that for these guys, it was a mountain that they never, ever expected to be given the chance to climb. That makes reaching the summit all the more sweet. And The Heartbreakers were more than willing to share thier feelings with us in that great candid shot on TV. I wish I had a copy of that picture. It was a moment. How could you not feel great for those guys at that second?

How refreshing in today's entertainment and sports climate. Humility. The willingness to be thankful that you have been blessed enough to make your living starring in a show, playing a game, or just playing your songs. In those brief TV seconds on Fox, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers reminded us all of a great lesson. It just jumped out of the TV at me. Be thankful for what you've got. What a great concept.