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By Dave Miller

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Tom Petty pushed his new album, Mojo, even before he took the stage Saturday night at the United Center. A message ticked across the arena’s ribbon video screens inviting fans to send a text to receive instructions how to receive a free copy.

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It was a generous gesture for sure, but also one that made the setlist a bit puzzling. Petty and his Heartbreakers didn’t play a song off the album until the ninth offering of the night. The concert immediately launched into greatest-hits mode with “Listen to Her Heart,” “You Don’t Know How it Feels,” “I Won’t Back Down” and “Free Fallin’.” A welcomed respite came next in a fun cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well” with Petty shaking his maracas all over the stage. Then it was back to a hit with “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.” “Honey Bee” and its grungy groove from his solo Wildflowers LP came next. It was followed by yet another warhorse, “Breakdown,” from a setlist that was exactly the same as the show before in Cincinnati.

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Then Petty finally introduced a song from Mojo, “Jefferson Jericho Blues.” The song featured Scott Thurston on harmonica, and Mike Campbell and Petty face-to-face playing guitar. It was a number that would have fit in at any blues club around the city. The next four songs also came from the blues-based Mojo. It was good to hear some fresh stuff played from an album that has received some good reviews. One of America’s best bands of the last 35 years, the Heartbreakers sunk their teeth and attention into the new material. But then it was back to the greatest-hits script. Five hits closed the show. “Don’t Come Around Here No More” sounded especially tired. Petty couldn’t even muster enough enthusiasm to clap in time during part of it. Perhaps it was no accident that the song received the strobe-light treatment.

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To be fair, with the exception of “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” Petty and his band sounded in fine form. The guys have been among the best musicians in rock for years. Understated guitar hero Campbell was aptly introduced “co-captain” by Petty. Benmont Tench impeccably added his trademark tasty keyboards. Thurston is a master jack-of-all-trades with his backing vocals, keyboards, harmonica and guitar. Drummer Steve Ferrone, introduced by Petty as his “personal locomotive,” kept things chugging with force. Bassist Ron Blair not only added precision muscle, but sweet backing singing, too. The Heartbreakers play so well together that it almost doesn’t matter what they play. They heighten everything they touch.

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Yet it would have been nice to see more variety and balance in the setlist, which basically was a greatest-hits set with a Mojo break. The Heartbreakers can handle anything. It would be great to see them more challenged.

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For decades, Petty stuck up for rock fans, famously keeping a line on his album prices when he was younger and keeping his ticket prices down. He’s said he’d be embarrassed to charge $100 for a ticket like some others do. Yet, the top ticket price was $125, plus service charges, at the UC, which had the seats behind the stage curtained off but was otherwise nearly full. Petty keeps pumping out many of the same hits tour after tour, and the fans keep coming. He’s reliable in that way, but he and his band are capable of so much more.

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The setlist:

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Listen to Her Heart
You Don’t Know How It Feels
I Won’t Back Down
Free Fallin’
Oh Well      
Mary Jane’s Last Dance
Honey Bee
Breakdown
Jefferson Jericho Blues
Good Enough
Running Man’s Bible
First Flash of Freedom
I Should Have Know It
Learning to Fly
Don’t Come Around Here No More
Refugee
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Runnin’ Down a Dream
American Girl

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Start: 9:10 p.m./Finish: 10:58 p.m.
Totals: 18 songs, one hour and 48 minutes

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