Thru October 2, 2010
Tickets: $35 – $200
Openers: ZZ Top, CSN (Crosby, Stills & Nash), My Morning Jacket, Drive-By Truckers
“We’re hot right now,” says Petty. “It’s coming easy – no struggle. If I didn’t have a tour, I’d probably just stay in the studio.” But since Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers do have their usual massive laps through arenas and more, they’re set on playing plenty of songs from their blazing new live studio album, Mojo. “I think we take it to the road and it will take on its own life,” says Petty. The tour will focus on mainly the new songs from Mojo but classic hits will also be featured. According to guitarist Mike Campbell it can be tricky balancing the new with the old. “The problem we have every year, and I guess we’ll have it worse this year, is trying to get enough songs in the set that people want to hear – but also play the new stuff,” says Campbell.
One of the songs, Don’t Pull Me Over, is about legalizing pot. Petty’s viewpoint on that is, “We could solve a lot of problems with the tax money, and the medical benefits are well proven. Pretending that America isn’t using marijuana is ridiculous, so I’m glad I got that statement in. The said, the pot store doesn’t look right to me. Why wouldn’t it be sold at a pharmacy like any other prescription?”
Another song on the new album, titled Running Man’s Bible, is a tribute to bassist Howie Epstein who died in 2003 from a suspected heroine overdose. Petty says, “I’d always wanted to deal with Howie’s death, and there’s some of that in there. It’s one of those embarrassingly revealing songs. It just crept into my mind one day. I was playing the guitar and it started falling out and I wrote it down as quick as I could.” The song is about the band sticking together for 35 years. “We respect the band as more important than our individual problems, and we’re getting along ridiculously well. It’s disgusting to see old men so happy.”
TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS 2010 MOJO TOUR DATES
Atlanta, GA – Philips Arena, August 11 w/CSN
Boston, MA – Comcast Center, August 19 & 21, w/My Morning Jacket
Charlotte, NC – Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, September 19,w/ZZ Top
Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center, August 31, w/Drive-By Truckers
Dallas, TX – Superpages.com Center, September 21, w/ZZ Top
Darien Lake, NY – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, August 14 & 28, w/CSN
East Rutherford, NJ – Izod Center, August 24, w/My Morning Jacket
Hartford, CT – Comcast Theatre, August 17, w/CSN
Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, September 24, w/ZZ Top
Irvine, CA – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, October 2, w/ZZ Top
Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl, October 1, w/ZZ Top
Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena, August 12, w/CSN
Phoenix, AZ – U.S. Airways, September 26, w/ZZ Top
Raleigh, NC – Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek, September 18, w/ZZ Top
San Diego, CA – Cricket Pavilion, September 28, w/ZZ Top
Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center, August 27, w/CSN
Tampa, FL – St. Pete Times Forum, September 16, w/ZZ Top
Toronto, ON – Air Canada Center, August 25, w/CSN
Tulsa, OK – Box Center, September 23, w/ZZ Top
Washington DC – Jiffy Lube Live, August 15, w/CSN
For tickets and more info on Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers check out their website here.
[Quotes by Tom Petty from Rolling Stone; Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers]
Sounds like a good excuse for an Atlanta road trip.