Tom Petty album and tour news!!!
 

I received the following email via the TP mailing list!!!!!

"Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will be touring this summer. The final schedule will not be available until next week at which time you will be notified. Meanwhile we want you to be the first to know that the tour which celebrates the bands 30th anniversary and will start on June 9, will include some dates with some very special friends and opening acts. For example we can confirm that Pearl Jam will be on two Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers shows in St Paul at the Excel Arena on June 26 and 27 and also two shows in Denver at the Pepsi Center on July 2 and 3.

There will be more shows with Pearl Jam and other exciting announcements will follow. Presales and other special opportunities for Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s fans will be available so please stay tuned and keep checking TomPetty.Com for details.

You have probably read that a new Tom Petty album will be released this summer. Although there is no official release date confirmed yet, Highway Companion will be released in July."

:]

Pearl Jam with Tom in St Paul. HMMM interesting.:)

:blob2: Woo-hoo! Thanks for the info! Who's seen 'em live? How are they?

They're the best, really. You'll know ALL of the songs and be amazed by the catalog he has and the quality of the performance. :thumbsup:

Petty & the boys are great! I've seen 'em 5 or 6 times (3 of those times on the tour they did with Bob Dylan).

Although, I haven't seen the current Heartbreakers lineup (with Steve Ferrone, Scott Thurston, & original bassist Ron Blair). Stan Lynch was still their drummer and bassist Howie Epstein (RIP) hadn't visibly found heroin yet.

They were incredible last summer when I saw them. :nod:

I've seen the Heartbreakers live, with & without Stevie Nicks. They are incomparable musicians. They are one of the great rock bands of the modern era. You can discuss them in the same terms as you would the E Street Band or U2 or some of the other rock-solid outfits.

Of course, their signature classic drum sound, courtesy of Stan Lynch, is gone. And Howie is gone, too, isn't he? So today's Heartbreakers isn't exactly the same as the band that recorded & toured in the late 1970s & 1980s. In fact, I think their current drummer is the same guy who played drums on Christine's solo tour in 1984 -- Steve Ferrone.

Yeah, I've heard that they create an eclectic set-list night after night and play really long sets :thumbsup:

I'm kinda bummed that it's not the Heartbreakers of old though. Well, at least Benmont and Mike are still with him, right?

Thank god - I didn't get to see them last summer. THanks for the news.

They'd better get their butts to Texas this time around!

They are GREAT, Tracye! We should go! Ain't nothing like a live 15-minute version of Breakdown, w/ Tom swampin' around the stage and the fans singing along!

Well, current bass player Ron Blair was also the original bass player before leaving after the Damn The Torpedoes album. When Howie's heroin addiction became a hindrance, Ron volunteered to rejoin. Multi-instrumentalist/vocalist, Scott Thurston is a good addition, he used to be in The Motels. Steve Ferrone is a great drummer...as David said, he's done a lot of work with Christine McVie on her '84 album & tour, and on In The Meantime), as well. Also, he was with Eric Clapton's band on both the Journeyman album & subsequent tour and the Unplugged concert. I see his name on a BUNCH of album credits.

You'll have to go see Tom with me this summer. :wavey:

that's awesome news - i hope they play toronto! i can't believe i've never seen tom petty.

mind you, after i buy my madonna tickets, i may not be able to afford another show this summer. :eek:

I could see them playing The Backyard or the Irwin Center if they come to Austin which would be a dream come true. I think they've played here before haven't they?

Yes! We should definitely go!! :blob1:

Yes, I've seen them at Frank's place twice. But the Backyard would be way cooler! :)

I have a feeling he'll end up Verizon though. Especially if this is a shed tour.

I hope Stevie is one of the "friends" who joins for some of the gigs.

Initial dates show that this is an arena tour.

I hope we get some tour dates soon. I really want tickets!

Here's a few:

http://www.pollstar.com/tour/searcha...Artist&PSKey=Y
appearing with "Bonnaroo Music Festival"

Fri 06/16/06 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music Festival

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Mon 06/26/06 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
Tue 06/27/06 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
Sun 07/02/06 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
Mon 07/03/06 Denver, CO Pepsi Center

And yeah, Huston's a freakin' hottie...from Austin!

Edit: Go check out what I just posted on the Stevie board!

http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/showth...381#post517381

tom petty and the heartbreakers are easily one of the best american live bands. they certainly give bruce and the e street band a run for their money.

i've seen them a lot over the years (since '81) and they are always unbelievable. imagine fleetwood mac on a really really good night.
that's how the heartbreakers are except they're that good every single show.

I hope Hank Hill comes out with "ol' Betsy" and they do a duet of "The Gambler".
I know... wishful thinking. ;)

TOM'S HEADLINING THE AUSTIN CITY LIMITS FESTIVAL! :blob2: :blob1: :blob2:

Pearl Jam, Trey Anastasia, The Allman Brothers Band and Others
Will Appear
on Selected Dates

Los Angeles, CA - Thursday, April 20, 2006 -- Tom Petty & the
Heartbreakers
will embark on their 2006 North American "Highway Companions
Tour" on June 9
in Charlotte, N.C. The band will be joined along the way by an
exciting
list of friends and guests that will include a series of very
special shows
with Pearl Jam, some shows with special guest Trey Anastasio,
and others
with the Allman Brothers Band. Expect further announcements
soon of
additional special guests and opening acts who will be on
selected dates.

As part of their summer tour, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers -
Petty/vocals,
guitars, Mike Campbell/guitars, Benmont Tench/keyboards, Ron
Blair/bass,
Scott Thurston/guitars, harmonica, backing vocals, and Steve
Ferrone/drums -
will headline the Bonnaroo Festival on Friday, June 16, and the
Austin City
Limits Festival on Sunday, September 17.

Petty is putting the finishing touches on his third solo album,
"Highway
Companion," which is produced by Jeff Lynne with Tom Petty and
Mike
Campbell, and will be released this summer.

Academy Award-winning director/screenwriter Peter Bogdanovich
("The Last
Picture Show," "Paper Moon," "Mask") has started working on a
comprehensive
feature film/documentary about the band's three-decades-long
history. Given
unparalleled access to the band, Bogdanovich will intertwine
vintage
interviews, videos and live performances with special footage
that he began
shooting late last year. "We shot New Year's Eve at Mike
Campbell's house,"
said Bogdanovich. "We've gone into the studio with Tom while he
did
voice-overs for his 'King of The Hill' role, recorded his XM
Satellite radio
show, we'll be there when he headlines Bonnaroo, and we've
already started
to conduct new interviews with Tom, the band, with long-time
associates,
journalists, and other people who have played a role during the
past thirty
years.

"I want to tell this very American story about a small family of
musicians
who jumped in a car, left Gainesville and drove cross-country to
get into
the record business," explained Bogdanovich. "How they did it,
what
happened to them as a result, how this affected their families
and friends,
and the impact their music has had on the music industry and on
millions of
people's lives. We'll take you through it all, the early
Shelter Records
days, touring with Bob Dylan, the Grammys and other awards, the
Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame induction, working with Johnny Cash in the
recording
studio, and the Traveling Wilburys." No title or release
information has
been set.

Last summer's Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' tour proved to be
one of the
band's most successful in their long career. Without a new CD
to promote,
they played to sell-out crowds totaling more than 750,000 fans;
Rolling
Stone's glowing article on the success of the tour prompted the
headline
"Tom Petty Rules the Road," and Joel Selvin of the San Francisco
Chronicle
declared, "Tom Petty is rock aristocracy."

Over the past thirty years, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers have
sold more
than 50-million records and been nominated for 16 Grammy Awards.
The band
was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, the
first year
they were eligible, and this past December, Green Day's Billy
Joe Armstrong
presented Petty with the Billboard Century Award at the
Billboard Music
Awards saying, "If you're going to come up and thank god, thank
god for Tom
Petty." In this 2006 season, Petty reprises his ongoing role as
"Lucky" on
the long-running Fox animated TV series "King of the Hill," and
he is in the
middle of the second season of his critically acclaimed XM
Satellite Radio
Show, "Tom Petty's Buried Treasure."

The confirmed first leg is below; dates for leg two (July/August
with the
Allman Brothers Band) and leg three (September/October) will be
announced
shortly.

JUNE
9 Verizon Amphitheatre, Charlotte, N.C. (w/ Trey
Anastasio)
10 Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA (w/ Trey Anastasio)
12 Harbor Center, Portsmouth, VA (w/ Trey Anastasio)
14 Polaris Amphitheatre, Columbus, OH (w/ Trey
Anastasio)
16 Bonnaroo Festival, Manchester, TN
17 UMB Bank Pavilion, Louis, MO (w/ Trey Anastasio)
20 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY (w/ Trey
Anastasio)
21 Tweeter Center, Mansfield, MA (w/ Trey Anastasio)
23 Verizon Amphitheatre, Indianapolis, IN (w/ Trey
Anastasio)
26-27 Xcel Center, St. Paul, MN (w/ Pearl Jam)
29-30 Marcus Amphitheatre, Summerfest, Milwaukee, WI (w/
Pearl Jam)

JULY
2-3 Pepsi Center, Denver, CO (with Pearl Jam)
BREAK

Great, so I have to sit out in the 110 degree heat with 80% humidity and no shade to see him? :rolleyes: They need to move ACL to late Fall or early Spring, and I don't care if SXSW is in March! I say two spring festivals would be great!

Or move it besides a giant, enormous, swimming pool! Or a lake! Yes, it should be lakeside. Like Reggae on the River up near Humbolt. Which is super awesome.

So disappointed Highway Companion is produced by Jeff Lynne :(
Full Moon Fever is okay, but Into The Great Wide Open ranks as one of his worst...

Wasn't that the one with Johnny Depp & Faye Dunaway in the video?

Yep. The video was nice but the album was disappointing to my ears.

Correction: Since we already had our first 100-degree day of 2006 in April, most likely, it will be 130 in September. :laugh: But I agree, they should move it to maybe the first week of October...Tom won't play until the sun goes down, since he's headlining. And it's general admission! :thumbsup:

On the ACL Fest website, they explain why they hold it that week (doesn't interfere with a home game of UT football, Pecan St. Festival - or whatever festival - and many big acts wrap up their summer tours around then, etc.). They're also going to add more shade, misting stations, and plant more grass so we don't get another dust storm...if you get a 3-day pass, you can come and go as you please; run across the street to Barton Springs Pool, jump in, and go back!

http://www.aclfestival.com/default.aspx

This is all very true, I admit. So general admission you say? Does that mean I don't have to buy any passes to see him? I'm serious, I hate ACL, it's too damn hot, but if there's more shade and misting stations, well then, I might be persuaded after all. When do passes go on sale? I'm sure it's in your email but I'm lazy and it's Friday :p

Hey, are you still going to see Hell's Belles Saturday night? We haven't gotten tickets yet, is it sold out? :eek:

The 3-day passes are $130 now - I bought mine the day they went on sale, for $90, plus tax, title and license.

They haven't decided yet whether or not to sell 1-day tickets for each day, depends on capacity, blah, blah...but hopefully, they will sell single-day tickets and you can just go on Sunday...and don't go until 7 PM-ish to avoid the heat...

Yes, I bought a ticket for Hell's Belles. I don't believe it's sold out, but KLBJ has been promoting the hell out of it and they are also giving away tickets. You'd better go! :) My throat is all scratchy again and I can barely talk (damn allergies). I'll sing like Stevie for you! I keep calling Bruce and singing "Storms" to him w/ my "Tusk voice."

"Worst" and/or any form of the word "disappointment" does not belong in the same sentence as anything pertaining to Tom Petty.

Full Moon Fever is a masterpiece. It was the very first album I ever owned by any artist and still ranks among my all time favorites. Into the Great Wide Open is another excellent record, though not as great as FMF.

If I recall correctly, Jeff Lynne also co-produced both Traveling Wilburys albums, perhaps two of the greatest recordings in music history.

But I'm not biased or anything.

Well ****, I can't get over to Waterloo to buy tickets until after work. We have company coming over at 6:30, but maybe I can swing by after work at 5:00 p.m. You know I always put things off, why am I such a procrastinator??

Ha-ha, Tusk voice! Can't wait to hear it!

I didn't go to Waterloo. I simply went here and selected "will call" delivery. :thumbsup:

http://frontgatetickets.com/

I miss Stan Lynch from the old Heartbreakers. Stan had an immediately identifiable style--the way Mick Fleetwood does (or did)--& it just seemed like such an integral part of the Heartbreakers sound.

If I were a drummer, I'd want to sound just like Mick or Stan Lynch, maybe even Stan a little more than Mick.

Oh, duh. Yeah, Zach's gonna swing by Waterloo and get 'em, it's cheaper.

We'll see you there! I don't know if I want to show up for the first two bands though, what do you know about them? You can p.m. me if you want :o

I'm not crazy about the second Wilburys album either I must admit. To me they don't rank anywhere near the greatest recordings in music history, but the first album is pleasant listening.
I like Full Moon Fever a lot, but the production is too shiny for my liking. The songs are great though. And Into The Great Wide Open, hmmm... I still ithink it's his worst, along with Let Me Up I'll Had Enough.

But then, it's pretty well established that you and I have greatly different tastes and opinions regarding music.

I love both albums. "Into the Great Wide Open" is just classically great Petty and "Let Me Up" stands as the one time Petty and the boys really experimented with their sound, and though it was not really a successful departure, I still think the result was greatness typical of Petty.

I think we probably like a lot of the same things too though.
I do adore Petty, and I love all his albums. Into The Great Wide Open and Let Me Up I've Had Enough are just my least faves.

I"m not wild about Full Moon Fever, but it's okay. Also, this guy who was my friend and then I dated - he's a drummer but a guitar player, too, and everytime we were all hanging out late, late, and people would be all "play a song!" he'd do "Yer So Bad", which I didn't love in the first place (except the chorus, the chorus is rad, okay and the lyrics are great, but...). So I'm pretty sick of that particular song. He's really good at singing/guitar playing SDMH with me, though! I guess he's my very own Tom Petty. :laugh:
The general note scheme of many FMF songs doesn't appeal to me, it's the flatter tones rather than the more minor/passionate sounding ones.
Obviously, though, it's still good. And I think Into the Great Wide Open is a good song, though I'm not very familiar with the whole album.

Why would I PM you and pass up the opportunity to hijack a thread, which I so rarely get to do? :p

I don't know much about the Quick and the Dead, but I do want to be there early enough for the middle band, The Addictions, who have at least 2 former members of Quatropaw - the lead singer/guitar chick, Beth and her husband. They have completely changed their sound for this band. They are one of my friends on myspace, so are Hell's Belles, if you wanna check them out...they left me a comment recently, they like the Mac! :thumbsup:

See ya tomorrow nite! :D

Gotta agree with David on this one. Loved me some Stan with the Heartbreakers. Nothing against Steve Ferrone! ... just that Stan was more identifiable with the whole Heartbreakers sound.
I AM a drummer and would listen to both of these guys "back in the day" as original influences. Their "basicness" is still head and shoulders above the "I can play faster than you can play" mentality these days.