Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Celebrates Inductees Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers with New Exhibit and Series of Events
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is celebrating Inductees Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers with a series of events, corresponding with the November anniversary of the Wildflowers album and the worldwide release of the award-winning documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers.
The Rock Hall’s online and in person store at the museum (no admission ticket required to shop) is also showcasing great selection of apparel, accessories, and novelty products from Wildflowers, Full Moon Fever and The Heartbreakers.
Events include:
You Don’t Know How It Feels – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ Wildflowers Exhibition (Opens Nov. 19th)
A special exhibition inside Right Here, Right Now will spotlight the Wildflowers album, which was released November 1, 1994. On display, fans will find artifacts surrounding the Wildflowers era sessions and corresponding tour including work-in-progress handwritten lyrics to songs like "Crawling Back To You" and "You Don't Know How It Feels", Petty's custom Blonde Toru Nittono electric guitar, Mike Campbell's Fender Jazzmaster, Howie Epstein's Fender jazz bass, Scott Thurston's harmonicas and Steve Ferrone's touring Pearl drum kit, along with Tom Petty’s personal wardrobe worn on tour, in the studio and on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine.
Fly Away Contest to the Wildflowers Exhibit (Nov. 9th – Dec. 3rd)
Warner Records is giving fans the opportunity to enter for a chance to win a trip for two to the new Wildflowers exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. One grand prize winner will receive roundtrip airfare, a two-night hotel stay, and ground transportation, along with VIP tickets and a tour of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Vault. The grand prize winner will also receive a set of original 1994 Wildflowers posters from the Tom Petty archive vaults, one original 1994 Wildflowers guitar picks played by the band from their legendary rehearsal & recording space, The Clubhouse, a massive Wildflowers & All The Rest music and merch prize package, and they will be invited to guest host an episode of ‘The Last DJ’ on Tom Petty Radio on SiriusXM. Enter for a chance to win HERE. (U.S. Only)
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Fan Weekend (Nov. 26-28th)
In addition to the new exhibit, fans can view Rock Hall vault footage of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, featured in the Power of Rock Experience showcasing Petty’s legendary “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” performance with Prince, and from his iconic Super Bowl Halftime performance as highlighted in The Biggest Show on Turf, adjacent to his outfit and guitar worn during the performance. Plus, enjoy a photo opportunity at the Long Live Rock art installation on the plaza. The weekend of Nov. 19th-21st and Nov. 26th-28th, at the top of every hour, Tom Petty and The Heartbreaker’s music will be played on the Rock Boxes located throughout downtown Cleveland, along East 9th Street, and all day inside the museum.
Induction Vault Podcast Premieres Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Episode (Nov. 19th)
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Induction Vault podcast series is debuting a new episode featuring Tom Petty and The Heartbreaker’s Induction speech and performance. Fans can download and listen on all their favorite devices. The series covers iconic induction speeches, debuting every Friday in 2021.
Virtual Hall of Fame Series Interview with Members of The Heartbreakers (December 2021)
Fans can learn more about Petty’s legacy during a virtual interview with members of The Heartbreakers as they share memories of being inducted into the Hall of Fame and from the Wildflowers album and film, Somewhere You Feel Free. The event will air on Rock Hall’s YouTube and Facebook pages and Tom Petty Radio on SiriusXM later this year.
Rock Hall Film Series: Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers (January 2022)
The new documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers gets its worldwide release on November 11 at 12 p.m. ET, with a free global streaming event on Tom Petty’s YouTube channel. Set your reminder now! In January 2022, it will also kick off the return of the Rock Hall’s Film Series at the museum.
The film offers a unique look into the creative mastery and turbulent personal life of the legendary rock star, capturing the period of 1993-1995 when Tom worked with legendary producer Rick Rubin for the first time and giving an unvarnished look at Petty that features never-before-seen footage drawn from a newly discovered archive of 16mm film, in addition to new interviews with album co-producer and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench, and many more.
The uplifting 89-minute documentary was directed by award-winning filmmaker Mary Wharton (Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President, Sam Cooke: Legend, Elvis Lives!, The Beatles Revolution) and first debuted in March as an Official SXSW 2021 Selection, winning the festival’s Audience Award. The film went on to win Best Documentary Film at the Boulder Film Festival and received widespread critical acclaim throughout the film festival season. The picture digs deeper into 2020’s critically acclaimed certified gold reissue, Wildflowers & All The Rest collection (Warner Records) which revealed the long anticipated second half of Tom’s autobiographical masterpiece.
Rock Hall EDU Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Playlist & Activity (Now Avail)
Rock Hall EDU’s free digital learning platform, now reaching more than one million students, is full of resources and activities that use the power of rock & roll to engage with students of all ages. This new playlist introduces listeners to the sounds and artistry of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. This band is all about the basics of solid, melodic songs delivered with passion and conviction, while telling a relatable and engaging story. This combination has won fans over for generations and this playlist has something for every fan. Click here to access.
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002 as Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers by Jakob Dylan, Tom Petty made us all believe by singing about ordinary experience in an extraordinary way. His vocals captured our soul with songs that sounded like hits the first time we heard them. He made his mark on music and our lives. Learn more about Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers at www.rockhall.com/inductees.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and until 9 p.m. on Thursdays September through December.