The Heartbreakers—Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Stan Lynch, and Ron Blair—reunited Wednesday night at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville to back Chris Stapleton for a performance of classic Tom Petty songs at the Americana Honors & Awards show.
Stapleton opened with “Breakdown” and “American Girl,” featuring original Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch. The full band then performed “You Wreck Me” with Campbell, drummer Steve Ferrone, and guitarist Scott Thurston. The Ryman audience rose to their feet during the emotional performance.
“It’s really emotional and sweet to be here,” Campbell said during his acceptance speech. “Tom, I’m gonna miss rocking around with you.”
The reunion marked the first time the entire Heartbreakers lineup had gathered together since Petty’s death in 2017. The band had previously resisted a full reunion with another vocalist, with Campbell telling Rolling Stone in 2018: “Nobody can fill those shoes. I can’t fill them and I don’t know anybody else that I would want to fill them.”
Stapleton, who has opened with Petty and co-written with Campbell, was a natural choice. “No other musical influence is as ever-present in my mind,” Stapleton has said of Petty. The Heartbreakers reunion served as the opening performance of the Americana Honors & Awards, which also paid tribute to Dolly Parton with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award.
See Benmont Tench live
Upcoming Benmont Tench events with tickets available:
- Oct 6, 2026 — Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, California · Get tickets
- Oct 8, 2026 — Coach House – Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, California · Get tickets
- Oct 12, 2026 — Musical Instrument Museum – Music Theater, Phoenix, Arizona · Get tickets
- Oct 13, 2026 — Music Box – San Diego, San Diego, California · Get tickets
Tickets are sold by GetUrTix. Code GTIX20 takes 20% off the ticket price at checkout — no minimum, no expiry.
Source: Rolling Stone Music
