Fans of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will have an opportunity to get a preview Saturday, Nov. 19, of the new live album from the group’s 1997 marathon month of concerts in San Francisco.
A listening party organized by Homewood resident Kevin Crabtree will be hosted from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Melody Mart, 18062 Dixie Highway. Homewood will be joining Heartbreakers fans from around North America and Europe to celebrate the new release.
featured Saturday from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Melody Mart in Homewood. (Provided image)
Crabtree thinks the new album, “Live at the Fillmore, 1997” will be a special one for both devoted and casual fans of the band. The album’s official release date is Nov. 25.
The band was formed in 1976 and stopped touring after Petty’s death in 2017. It produced a number of hit songs, including “American Girl,” “Breakdown,” “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and “Refugee” and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
The new album includes performances from a month-long residency in 1997 when the band performed 20 shows at the Fillmore, an iconic West Coast venue. Crabtree said the band was at the height of its powers.
Crabtree called the recording the “holy grail” for fans. He said the band has been important to him for a long time.
“I’ve been a fan since I was a child,” he said, noting he’s attended 20 of the band’s concerts since 2001. Typically, the band would play 16 to 20 songs, most of them from among its greatest hits.
The new album will be special, Crabtree said, because during the Fillmore residency, the band performed quite a few covers of songs by other rock greats, including Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and more.
“They’ve meant a lot to me personally,” he said. “My wife and I got married, and we chose our wedding night eight years ago because Tom Petty and the band were playing in Chicago.” The couple jokes now that the Heartbreakers were their wedding band.
The listening party will include refreshments and a few promotional giveaways, he said. The event is free, but he urged anyone interested to RSVP at the Melody Mart website.
There will also be live music by Guy Schingoethe.