It was five years ago this Sunday, October 2nd, that the music world was dealt a devastating blow with the unexpected death of Tom Petty. He was 66.
The L.A. County Coroner said a number of his organs failed due to "mixed drug toxicity" that brought on cardiac arrest at his Malibu home the day before. He was on several pain meds for his fractured hip, including oxycodone, Xanax, Celexa and two types of Fentanyl -- one of which came in a patch. The latter is the drug that was linked to the 2016 death of Prince.
There were numerous reports about his condition, with CBS prematurely reporting that he had passed, a story that had to be retracted.
Just a week before, Petty and The Heartbreakers wrapped up their 40th anniversary tour at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, which he did with not only the broken hip, but also suffering from emphysema.
Petty left behind his second wife, Dana, and two daughters by his first wife Jane: Adria and AnnaKim Violette.
Since his death, the Petty estate has overseen a handful of archival releases and up next is Live at the Fillmore (1997) on November 25th. It was captured during his 20-night residency at the legendary San Francisco venue.
It's the first live album from Petty & The Heartbreakers in 13 years and it will be out on November 25th in numerous configurations -- two CDs, four CDs, three LPs, or two six-LP sets that contain 58 tracks, 35 of which are covers, for more than four hours of music.
The Uber Deluxe edition is housed in an authentic hand-made custom-sized cymbal road case that contains a replica “All Access” laminate, a reprint of the eight-page Fan Newsletter published in 1997, an embroidered patch, replica set lists, a foil lithograph, a vinyl record player slip-mat, custom guitar picks in a tin, and a replica embroidered “Fillmore House Band” baseball hat — a term that was bestowed on The Heartbreakers during the shows at the Fillmore.
This album features more covers than originals, including Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” J.J. Cale’s “Crazy Mama,” The Rolling Stones’ “Time Is on My Side,” as well as those from The Kinks, Everly Brothers, Bill Withers, The Byrds, Chuck Berry and Booker T. & the M.G.’s.
The collection also features special performances with The Byrds' Roger McGuinn and blues legend John Lee Hooker.
“Playing the Fillmore in 1997 for a month was one of my favorite experiences as a musician in my whole life," says Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell. "The band was on fire and we changed the set list every night. The room and the crowd was spiritual... AND... we got to play with some amazing guests. I will always remember those nights with joy and inspiration."
And at the final show of the residency, Petty said, “We all feel this might be the high point of our time together as a group… It’s going to be hard to get us off this stage tonight.”
To go along with today's announcement is the release of a live version of “Listen To Her Heart” alongside a new video.