Tom Petty’s official website and social media pages are teasing an impending announcement regarding a mysterious project that, according to an online message, promises to be “something really special.” A countdown clock has been launched at TomPetty.com that will hit zero this Friday, August 30, at 9 a.m. ET.
The note posted on Petty’s socials, meanwhile, reads, “We’ve been working on something really special for a long time for the core Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers fans. We’ve dropped a few clues along the way, but we think you’ll be delighted at what’s to come this fall. The countdown has officially started…”
In addition to the countdown clock, Petty’s website features a series of audio snippets that sound like between-song studio chatter from Petty and other Heartbreakers members.
The social media post also includes an audio clip featuring Petty apparently introducing a cover song that Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench wanted to play. “All right. This is one Ben wanted to do with respect for Doug Sahm from Austin, Texas,” Tom is heard saying. Another person then exclaims, “Augie Meyers, how’re ya doin’?”
Sahm and Meyers both were members of the Tex-Mex-influenced rock band the Sir Douglas Quintet.
Posthumous Petty Archival Releases
While no official details about the project have been unveiled yet, there’s a decent chance it could be the latest in a series of archival Petty collections that have been released since his 2017 death at age 66.
Those releases all included previously unheard material from various periods of his career. They were put together by Petty’s estate in collaboration with Tench and founding Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, and some of Tom’s studio collaborators. The releases include An American Treasure (2018), a best-of compilation and box set; Wildflowers & All the Rest (2020), an expanded version of Petty’s 1994 solo album Wildflowers; and Live at the Fillmore 1997 (2022); a box set featuring performances from Petty and the Heartbreakers 1997 residency at the famed San Francisco venue.
In a 2023 interview with Guitar Player, Campbell mentioned that an upcoming release would be a reissue of Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1982 album, Long After Dark.
About the 2024 Tom Petty Weekend
As previously reported, Petty’s 74th birthday will be celebrated at the 2024 installment of the annual Tom Petty Weekend fan gathering. The event is scheduled for October 10-13 in the late rock legend’s hometown of Gainesville, Florida. The three-day celebration will feature various artists performing at the Heartwood Soundstage venue.
The lineup includes The Speaker Wars, a band co-founded by and featuring original Petty and the Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch.
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