Tom Petty returned to Toronto with the Heartbreakers for Wednesday night’s concert at the Air Canada Centre. (Alex Urosevic, QMI Agency)

TORONTO – Tom Petty clearly still has his Mojo – also the name of his first album with The Heartbreakers in eight years.

But the 59-year-old singer-songwriter-guitarist, initially suited up in a black duster coat with a neat beard accentuating his long hair, focused on hits and older songs rather than the jammy, blues-based new material at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday night.

"Well how are you tonight," said a smiling, overwhelmed Petty as the audience went wild. "We are excited Toronto – here we are. "

Later he turned up the lights to wave to the audience: "You’re a good looking crowd."

Playing on a stripped-down stage with floating video screens above it to show off closeups of each band member – outstanding lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, keyboardist-harmonica player Scott Thurston, bassist Ron Blair, and drummer Steve Ferrone – Petty kicked off the hour-and-45-minute evening of music with an early song from his 30-year-plus back catalogue – Listen To Her Heart.

But it didn’t take long for him to reach into the hits – You Don’t Know How It Feels, I Won’t Back Down and Free Fallin’ – before covering an early Fleetwood Mac rocker Oh Well with Petty losing the coat, his guitar and shaking some maracas as he snaked around the stage. He also offered up Mary Jane’s Last Dance and Breakdown – with Campbell’s playing and Petty’s vocal performance on the latter song leading to a spirited crowd clap-along as the song slowly wound down.

Of the four Mojo songs sandwiched in the middle of the set, the scorching slow blues number Good Enough and the harder-rocking I Should Have Known It stood out over Jefferson Jericho Blues and Running Man’s Bible with some expert playing from Campbell.

But when Petty returned to his hits – a gentle Learning To Fly, Don’t Come Around Here No More and Refugee, he had the audience firmly on side again before the encore barnburners Running Down A Dream and You Wreck Me.

Opening was ’60s California folk-rock heavyweight act Crosby, Stills and Nash, one of several high profile openers on Petty’s tour – a list which has included Joe Cocker and ZZ Top.

The harmony-heavy threesome – David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, now all in their mid to late ’60s – are always warmly welcomed in these parts, particularly when they bring fourth member and hometown boy Neil Young with them.

And even if he wasn’t on stage this time, the Canadian musician was represented as CSN delved into the music of Stills’ earlier band with Young, Buffalo Springfield, with Bluebird and For What It’s Worth, and Long May You Run, from the The Stills-Young Band.

They also tackled The Rolling Stones’ Ruby Tuesday.

The trio, backed by four musicians, opened their 85-minute long set with perhaps their most famous song, Woodstock (written by Canadian Joni Mitchell about her then-boyfriend Nash), with a slimmed-down Stills still sounding as good as ever on his blistering guitar solos, particularly on later numbers, Long Time Gone, Deja Vu, Almost Cut My Hair (featuring some big notes from Crosby) and Wooden Ships.

Nash took over on piano for the sweet domestic bliss song, Our House, while Southern Cross and Teach Your Children, featured all three musicians on acoustic guitars. Also noteworthy were the Stills solo hit, Love The One You’re With.

Frankly, with this quality of material, it’s hard to put a false step forward.

TOM PETTY SET LIST

Listen to Her Heart

You Don’t Know How It Feels

I Won’t Back Down

Free Fallin’

Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac cover)

Mary Jane’s Last Dance

Kings Highway

Breakdown

Jefferson Jericho Blues

Good Enough

Running Man’s Bible

I Should Have Known It

Learning to Fly

Don’t Come Around Here No More

Refugee

ENCORE:

Runnin’ Down a Dream

You Wreck Me