Heartbreakers Reunite With Help From Chris Stapleton For First Live Show Since Tom Petty’s Death
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“Performing together for the first time in almost 25 years, please welcome the founding members of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers,” said the announcer at the opening of the 25th Americana Music Honors & Awards on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
Tom Petty was the frontman of the Heartbreakers from 1976 until his death at the age of 66 in 2017.
While a couple of the original members left the band over its decades-long run, the founding lineup was briefly reunited in 2002.
However, after Tom Petty’s passing nearly 10 years ago, the band had not formally performed at all, Rolling Stone noted.
That changed on Sept. 16, as Chris Stapleton filled in for Petty.
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Watch Chris Stapleton Perform Tom Petty Songs With The Heartbreakers
“Let’s get this party started,” said guitarist Mike Campbell as the band kicked off its first song of the night, performing the band’s enduring 1976 hit, “American Girl.”
Comprised of guitarist Campbell, pianist Benmont Tench, drummer Stan Lynch, and bassist Ron Blair, the founding members of the Heartbreakers were assembled together … but were missing Tom Petty.
Chris Stapleton proved to be a formidable replacement, making the songs his own while honoring Petty’s legacy.
That they were performing in the Ryman Auditorium made Stapleton’s inclusion even more special.
As “American Girl” ended, Campbell, said, “It’s true, we haven’t played together since 2017. It’s really emotional and sweet to be here … We’re so happy to have Chris up here with us.”
The band then performed “Breakdown,” from the band’s self-titled 1976 debut album.
Following that performance, the band took a moment to have a brief lineup change, switching some founding members out with members of the band who tackled the band’s later career period, with drummer Steve Ferrone and guitarist Scott Thurston taking the stage.
Performing Tom Petty’s 1994 solo song “You Wreck Me,” the band and Chris Stapleton closed out their set with great energy.
When the song ended, all of the members of the Heartbreakers came out onstage and took a bow with Stapleton.
It was then that Stapleton spoke on the significance of the music of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on his own life as a musician.
“I’m so honored and humbled to get to do that right there,” Stapleton told the crowd, noting:
“This year marks the 50th anniversary of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and words cannot express how much that catalogue of music means to me, but also to the world. It transcends genre, it transcends Americana, it transcends a lot of things.”
He then added, “It heals, and it makes you feel good, and it makes you want to drive too fast, and it makes you want to play music — that’s what it did for me.”
From there, Stapleton then presented the band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Accepting the award on behalf of Petty was his daughter, music video director Adria Petty.
Watch Chris Stapleton perform Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker songs with the original lineup of the Heartbreakers (as well as its later members), and present the band with a lifetime achievement award, here:
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