Father John Misty Honors Tom Petty With An Emotional Acoustic Cover Of ‘To Find A Friend’

Following the death of Tom Petty, some of the greater performers in the music world have taken to the stage and poured their hearts out over a bevy of his classic hits and beloved deep cuts. Miley Cyrus performed “Wildflowers,” Fleet Foxes took a stab at “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” Wilco played “The Waiting,” The National took to Instagram to cover “Damaged By Love,” and Coldplay recruited R.E.M.’s Peter Buck for “Free Fallin’.” The volume of tributes is a testament to Petty’s influence, and the fact that it seems everybody is covering a different song shows how powerful his discography is.

Now it’s Father John Misty’s turn, and at his show at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix last night, he paid tribute to Petty with an acoustic cover of Wildflowers track “To Find A Friend.” Josh Tillman brings a slower pace to the tune, which made for a fittingly emotional and poignant tribute.

It’s not long ago that Petty himself was performing these songs on stage, since he only just finished his last tour little more than a week ago — revisit our review of his Wrigley Field concert here. Watch Father John Misty perform his cover of “To Find A Friend” above, and listen to Petty’s original studio version below.

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