Tom Petty has sadly left us, but his backing band, The Heartbreakers, recently performed together for the first time in years.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The Heartbreakers Played Together Without Tom Petty
The founding members of the Heartbreakers performed at the Americana Honors & Awards show last night, Sep. 16, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Subbing in for Petty was Chris Stapleton.
The founding members of the band - Guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer Stan Lynch, and bassist Ron Blair - performed the classics "American Girl" and "Breakdown." Steve Ferrone and Scott Thurston, who joined The Heartbreakers in its later era, performed "You Wreck Me."
Stapleton channeled Petty's spirit throughout the performance, leaving us wondering when this group will hit the road.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers also accepted an Americana Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony. Adria Petty, the daughter of Tom, accepted the award and thanked Stapleton for "uniting the band" for their performance.
Campbell also gave an emotional speech, choking up as he paid tribute to Petty.
He said, "Tom, I'm gonna miss rocking around with you."
New Music Is On the Way
If you love Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, it's a good year to be a fan.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's estate announced yesterday that a new box set will be released on Nov. 6 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Titled Origins 1971-1978, it chronicles how Petty and the band formed their sound. In addition to new editions of the first two Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers albums, it includes a rarities album titled No Sleep Til LA, which features the unreleased track "Parade of Loons," and Live From The Record Plant 1977, an early show recorded in Sausalito, California.
And if that weren't enough, there will be a DVD of Petty and the Heartbreakers' appearance on the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test in 1978 and a "fanzine" filled with essays about the band and archival photos.
You can check out the video to "Parade of Loons" below.
