Petty Fever at Concerts on the Pier — Port Angeles Said Yes

The pier was packed. Not a little busy — packed. Lawn chairs staked out from well before 6pm, people standing three and four rows deep behind them, kids dancing near the stage, the sun dropping toward the Olympics behind it all. The weather was perfect — one of those clear summer evenings that makes the whole waterfront feel like it was designed for exactly this. This is what Concerts on the Pier looks like when the lineup hits right.

Petty Fever is an award-winning Tom Petty tribute band out of the Pacific Northwest, and they earned every person in that crowd. The set ran the full Wednesday 6–8pm block, and they didn't waste a minute of it. These guys are committed — dark suits, fedoras, round-lens shades on everyone — and the front man takes the Petty thing seriously. Like, seriously seriously. The resemblance, the voice, the way he holds the Rickenbacker. It lands.

The guitar collection alone was something — Duesenbergs, Fender Strats, what looked like a Rickenbacker or two — instruments pulled straight from the Tom Petty playbook. Whether every detail was exact, I couldn't say, but the intent was clear, and so was the result. These guys have done the homework.

From the back of the stage you could see the whole scene — the crowd stretching out to the water, the light turning gold, people not standing still. The Concerts on the Pier series is free, community-funded, and runs Wednesday evenings all summer. It draws locals and visitors both, but this one felt especially hometown. A lot of people in that crowd knew every word.

The front man cycling through a rack of Tom Petty's most iconic guitars — Rickenbacker, Strat, acoustic — was one of those things you just appreciate as someone who pays attention to gear. He wasn't showing off. It was purposeful. He was playing the songs the way they were meant to be played.

The bass player was locked in all night — white Precision-style bass, steady as anything, occasionally stepping up to the mic. The keyboardist had two boards stacked and looked like he was having more fun than anyone on stage, which is saying something because this whole band looked like they were exactly where they wanted to be.

The dancing started early and didn't stop. Right up front, a woman in a long red dress was spinning and two-stepping her way through the whole set — she showed up in half my frames and I wasn't mad about it. There's something about that image, red dress against the salt air and the mountains, that feels like Port Angeles in summer.

And then there was the artist. Same guy who's shown up at a few of these summer shows — he sets up near the stage with a drawing board and makes art while the music plays. He was out there again, working a piece in real time, occasionally breaking away to dance a little before going back to his board. I love that this is just a thing that happens here.

Toward the end of the set, the front man added a top hat. Full commitment. The crowd ate it up. He's already doing everything right — the voice, the walk, the guitars — and then he puts on the hat and it just tips into something else.

The artist who paints and draws during the show was near the front of the stage for some of it — bent over his board, then dancing, then back to drawing. I got a shot of him mid-lean, examining something on the canvas, stage glowing behind him. It's one of my favorites from the night.

Concerts on the Pier runs Wednesdays from 6–8pm through the summer. It's free, it's outside, and it pulls the whole town down to the water. If you want more info or the full schedule, head to onthepier.org.

If you're a band, festival, or local event organizer looking for a photographer who knows this community — I'd love to talk. Reach out through the contact page.