If there’s one thing we can thank the ubiquity of smartphones for it’s stuff like this. Rock legend Tom Petty died unexpectedly last night after a cardiac arrest, an event that was especially shocking since the songwriter had just wrapped up a 53-date 40th anniversary tour with The Heartbreakers last week. Thanks to one fan’s (surprisingly good) footage, however, we can watch Petty’s final performance, which is, fittingly, of his biggest hit, “American Girl.”
The above footage, which also includes “You Wreck Me,” was shot at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on September 25, and shows Petty and his band offering up vibrant renditions complete with an extended instrumental coda to close out the proceedings. Afterward, Petty hung out onstage to address fans and even signed a few autographs. Watch it above and smile at a man who did what he loved until the very end.