Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs
with Shannon McNally
Hoyt Sherman Place, Des Moines, Iowa • July 3, 2024
by Jeremy Glazier
Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines, Iowa, has hosted a who’s who of historic groundbreakers over its 137-year history. Visitors have included everyone from Hoyt’s brother, Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman, and pilot Amelia Earhart to artistic and musical guests like Edna St. Vincent Millay, Grant Wood, John Philip Sousa, and Agnes de Mille. The Hoyt Sherman Place Foundation aims to bring cultural, historic, and educational benefits to Iowa’s residents and communities. This mission was exemplified with its July 3 guests, Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs.
Mike Campbell spent the better part of 50 years side-by-side with Tom Petty and his bandmates as the Heartbreakers, as a sideman to everyone from Johnny Cash to Mary J. Blige, and most recently as the frontman of his solo band, The Dirty Knobs. They have released three albums since 2020 and are currently touring with the latest album titled Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits. Mike describes the Dirty Knobs as “rougher-edged [than Petty’s material]… slightly over-driven, less polished, lots of Sixties influence,” and from a lifelong fan of his work, it’s incredibly fun to boot.
Mike made his first appearance of the evening by announcing his opening act, Shannon McNally, and later reemerged during her set to lend his talented guitar to Shannon’s cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman.” While this was my first experience with Shannon and her music, I’m an instant fan and quickly playing catch-up on her discography. A glance at her website shows she has a new Special Edition EP available, as well as a list of tour dates through the fall.
Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs took the stage and immediately launched into several songs from the 2020 album Wreckless Abandon and the 2022 album External Combustion. “So Alive,” “Dare To Dream,” “Don’t Wait Up,” and “Innocent Man” fired up the audience and provided a great beginning to the evening. Mike paused the music to share a funny story about discussing writing a song with Chris Stapleton about “that guy” who just gets on your nerves, which led to the fan-favorite song titled “Fuck That Guy.”
About halfway through the show, they began to sprinkle the set with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tunes like “Even The Losers,” which was fantastic to hear Mike perform. Another Petty/Campbell track written for the alt-country band Lone Justice, “Ways To Be Wicked,” made an appearance, as well as the 1987 title track from the album Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough), and the always necessary “Runnin’ Down A Dream.” Backing Mike Campbell were the Dirty Knobs, made up of legendary drummer Steve Ferrone, multi-instrumentalist Chris Holt, and bass player Lance Morrison, known for his work with artists like Alanis Morissette and Don Henley.
The last song of the evening was “Stories We Could Tell,” a John Sebastian song that Mike has previously said is one of the best-written songs he’s ever heard. The near-capacity audience gratefully cheered them as they bowed and left the stage, having given us, the fans, a lasting gift of their timeless music.
Remaining tour dates through October are listed on Mike Campbell’s website, along with merchandise and the most up-to-date news on all things Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs.
