A restored and expanded version of a 1983 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers documentary called Heartbreakers Beach Party will be screened in select theaters on October 17 and October 20, which is Petty’s birthday. The movie, which marked filmmaker Cameron Crowe’s directorial debut, captures Petty and his band in 1982 and ’83 as they finished recording, promoted, and toured in support of their 1982 album Long After Dark.
The screenings will take place just before and just after the October 19 release of the recently announced deluxe reissue of Long After Dark.
[RELATED: New Details About the “Really Special” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Reissue Due Out This Fall]
Heartbreakers Beach Party was restored and prepared for a new release after long-lost 16-millimter reels of the film were rediscovered this year. The screenings will feature 19 minutes of remastered, previously unseen archival bonus footage, plus new commentary from Crowe.
The documentary includes appearances by Petty and all of the then-current members of The Heartbreakers—guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer Stan Lynch, and bassist Howie Epstein. The movie also features Stevie Nicks and Crowe.
“Heartbreakers Beach Party occupies a special place in my heart,” Crowe said in a statement. “I’m so happy we’re bringing it back in all its reckless glory.”
A press statement about the documentary describes it as “a fun, candid, fast paced, & musically rich ride with America’s greatest rock & roll band, a time capsule of the dawn of the MTV era, and a rare & shining glimpse into Tom Petty’s lasting creative genius.”
You can check out an official trailer for the film at Petty and the Heartbreakers’ official YouTube channel. Visit TomPettyFilm.com for more details and to purchase tickets.
About the Deluxe Long After Dark Reissue
As previously reported, the deluxe edition of Long After Dark features a newly remastered version of the original album, as well as 12 bonus tracks.
One of the bonus tracks is titled “Heartbreakers Beach Party,” the same as the aforementioned documentary. Among the other bonus cuts is Petty and the Heartbreakers’ original version of “Never Be You.” Rosanne Cash scored a No. 1 country hit with her rendition of the tune in 1985. Another extra track on the reissue is an upbeat rendition of “Ways to Be Wicked,” a tune that alt-country group Lone Justice covered on its self-titled 1985 debut album.
The reissue, which can be pre-ordered now, will be available in multiple formats and configurations. They include a limited-edition two-LP set pressed on red-and-black-splatter vinyl, packaged with a lithograph, available exclusively at TomPetty.com. There’s also a three-disc collection featuring two CDs and a Blu-ray audio disc. The Blu-ray boasts high-res mixes of the album and the bonus tracks.
The reissue also will be released as a standard black-vinyl two-LP set. In addition, a single LP featuring just the remastered Long After Dark tracks that’s pressed on turquoise vinyl and comes with a two-sided lithograph will be available only at independent record stores.
You can watch a trailer for the Long After Dark reissue at Petty and the Heartbreakers’ YouTube channel.
Long After Dark was released in November 1982, and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200. It included two hit singles, “You Got Lucky” and “Change of Heart,” which reached No. 20 and No. 21, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100.
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