Although we have a soft spot for Tom Petty and his band (all classic rock for that matter), we’re a little confused why he’s throwing his 2c into the EDM debate with some rather generalised comments made in an interview with Radio.com.

In speaking with the online music streaming station Tom came out firing taking shots at Electric Daisy Carnival and the culture of ‘EDM’;

Watch people play records? That’s stupid. You couldn’t pay me to go. I’m not oversimplifying it. That’s what’s going on. I don’t think it would be any fun without the drugs. It’s a drug party. You take that many kids to Vegas in the summer, what could go wrong? I knew it as soon as I saw the ad. I went, ‘Ooh, dead people.’ Do you need the money so bad that you’ll put some kid’s life at risk?

His comments understandably managed to make their way over to the Insomniac camp with owner Pasquale Rotella throwing a clever response back at the “Heartbreaker” while managing to steer clear of any drug connotations and going as far as inviting Mr Petty along to an event to party with his mum;

“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about records, DJs and dance music, including Tom Petty. We’re living in a very electronic era with constantly evolving forms of entertainment, which may be a daunting thing for a classic rocker in search of contemporary social relevancy as he starts promoting new music. But I would think that someone who played shows with Dylan and the Dead—someone who lived through and actively contributed to the counterculture era of the ’60s and ’70s—wouldn’t be so quick to drink the overhyped media Kool-Aid about our festival experience. If he wants to come to EDC Vegas next year and see what it’s really about, we’ve got a ticket with his name on it. If he doesn’t want to wait that long, Nocturnal Wonderland is right around the corner. My Mama Irene would be stoked to meet him! Who knows? He might just have a “Change of Heart.”

Although dance music festivals of that size have been running for a while now (EDC = 2008), it’s only just making waves in the headlines, especially in the US due to the money being spent and earned as well as the fame brought upon top tier DJs that play at the events – maybe why Toms having a hard time grasping all the new fangled bleeps and blops?

While we do agree that drugs sometimes go hand in hand with dance music festivals we can’t imagine that Tom Petty never had his own drug parties sometime during his career through the 60’s and 70’s mannnnnn.

In the mean time cool out to one of Tom’s best “I Won’t Back Down”

source: Insomniac