Coldplay and R.E.M.'s Peter Buck Perform a Touching Tribute to Tom Petty

Coldplay and R.E.M. perform Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" in Portland, Oregon

By Zach Johnson Oct 03, 2017 12:05 PMTags

Coldplay wasted no time paying tribute to Tom Petty.

After a delayed start at the Moda Center in Portland Monday ("for reasons beyond our control," they tweeted), the band took a moment to honor the victims of Sunday's mass shooting in Las Vegas. "This evening's Portland show began with a minute's silence. The entire arena lit only by people's phones," Coldplay tweeted. "When words fail, sometimes quiet is the most eloquent."

Afterward, former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck joined the rockers on stage to pay tribute to Petty, who died following a cardiac arrest and being rushed to UCLA Santa Monica Hospital. Coldplay and Buck performed one of the rock 'n' roll legend's most popular hits, "Free Fallin'."

Coldplay shared footage from the performance on Facebook and Twitter.

 

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Tom Petty: A Life in Pictures

Petty's manager, Tony Dimitriades, confirmed the 66-year-old's death to E! News Monday, saying, "He died peacefully at 8:40 p.m. PT surrounded by family, his bandmates and friends." Musicians including Bob Dylan, Carole King and Paul McCartney have shared tributes to Petty.

Petty formed The Heartbreakers in 1976, and their self-titled debut album was released the same year. The group's last album was released in 2014 in the form of 13th LP, Hypnotic Eye. Known for hits like "Don't Do Me Like That," "I Won't Back Down" and "You Don't Know How It Feels, the singer-songwriter was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. He sold more than 80 million albums worldwide, making Petty one of the best-selling artists of all time.