Original members of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers take the stage at the historic Ryman Auditorium for a legendary performance of their classic anthem, “Breakdown,” at the 25th Annual Americana Honors & Awards.
Honored with the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award celebrating 50 years of timeless rock and roll, Heartbreakers icons Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Stan Lynch, and Ron Blair—alongside Steve Ferrone and Scott Thurston—fill the Mother Church with unforgettable guitar riffs, vintage keys, and pure American music history.
“It’s true, we haven’t played together since 2017, and it’s really emotional and sweet to be here,” the guitarist remarked. “We have two more songs, and we’re so happy to have Chris up here with us.
For their third and final song of the night, later Heartbreakers members Steve Ferrone and Scott Thurston joined the group. Together, the musicians rocked through “You Wreck Me,” a track co-written by Campbell for Petty’s second solo album, 1994’s “Wildflowers”.
Throughout all three songs, the Heartbreakers showed little sign of rust. The musicians still boasted the same unique talents that made them such a perfect match for Petty, while Stapleton – a devout Petty fan – was a natural and exciting addition.
Not only did this mark the Heartbreakers’ first performance since Petty’s death, it was the first time the original Heartbreakers lineup had shared the stage in over 20 years.
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