Heartbreakers Strong At Summer Box Office

a1aara · Post by **a1aara** » August 3, 2005 4:40 pm

Heartbreakers Strong At Summer Box Office
Aug. 03, 2005
By Ray Waddell, Billboard.com

SOURCE: Billboard.com

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are putting up some of the biggest numbers of the band's career this summer, averaging more than 16,500 a night in attendance, according to Billboard Boxscore.

Perhaps more importantly, Petty and the Heartbreakers are having a great time on the road. "We enjoy playing with each other, which I think is a pretty important part of this," he tells Billboard.com. "If we didn't, we'd have given it up a long time ago. The idea when we started was to take five people and keep 'em together no matter what and see what we could get out of it, and we've pretty much stuck to that plan."

Petty and the Heartbreakers have been together nearly 30 years now, compiling a huge list of hit songs and fan favorites in the process. Such an arsenal of songs can make paring them down for a set list challenging.

"We have a set list, but we work up a lot more [songs] than we're gonna do," Petty says. "That way we can throw things in and change it around, especially if we're in a place for two days. It's good to keep yourself interested. The last show we did five songs we never rehearsed and that certainly sparked us up."

Petty's history with the band leads to an instinctive alchemy on stage. "The Heartbreakers are one of those rare groups [where] I can really throw them something and they'll go for it and they'll pull it off," he says. "I have this really deep faith in them that they're gonna read me and follow me. That comes from all those years of playing together. [Guitarist] Mike Campbell and I have been playing together since 1970."

Tony Dimitriades, Petty's longtime manager, has this to say about Petty's career: "What makes something last a long time to me is always about the quality of what you bring and the fact that you're reasonable in what you expect in exchange. In other words, you don't get greedy."

Petty and the Heartbreakers' 2005 dates will wrap Sept. 2-3 in George, Wash., with no plans to extend the tour. Dimitriades says a new Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers album is also due early next year.

"Look out for next year -- that's the 30th anniversary," Petty says. "We're gonna party.

ragtopW · Post by **ragtopW** » August 4, 2005 12:28 am

We Were just wondering how the Band Was doing with Howie
being gone and all

gingerbreadman · Post by **gingerbreadman** » August 4, 2005 11:55 pm

ragtopW wrote:We Were just wondering how the Band Was doing with Howie
being gone and all

Since Howie died in '03 (sadly) and he had already been out of the band for the Last DJ tour in '02, I would say that Tom and the rest of the HB can still rock, but I do miss Howie. Saw them in Tampa in June, and for being 54 years old, Tom is still up there with the best - including Jimmy, of course!

A good web site for Tom Petty fans is www.mudcrutch.com

I don't want to underrate Jimmy Buffett at the buffettnews web site, but Tom Petty is my personal equal artist to Jimmy Buffett. Because of this, we're gonna go on a crazy one week vacation trip in Aug & Sept: gonna see some friends in Colorado, then see Tom Petty twice at the Red Rocks Amphitheater, then go to Chicago, see some more phriends, and see Jimmy Buffett twice at Wrigley Field for the Labor day weekend show(s).

gonna be a fun week

ragtopW · Post by **ragtopW** » August 4, 2005 11:57 pm

gingerbreadman wrote:
ragtopW wrote:We Were just wondering how the Band Was doing with Howie
being gone and all

Since Howie died in '03 (sadly) and he had already been out of the band for the Last DJ tour in '02, I would say that Tom and the rest of the HB can still rock, but I do miss Howie. Saw them in Tampa in June, and for being 54 years old, Tom is still up there with the best - including Jimmy, of course!

A good web site for Tom Petty fans is www.mudcrutch.com

I don't want to underrate Jimmy Buffett at the buffettnews web site, but Tom Petty is my personal equal artist to Jimmy Buffett. Because of this, we're gonna go on a crazy one week vacation trip in Aug & Sept: gonna see some friends in Colorado, then see Tom Petty twice at the Red Rocks Amphitheater, then go to Chicago, see from more phriends, and see Jimmy Buffett twice at Wrigley Field for the Labor day weekend show(s).

gonna be a fun week

wasn't there a Bass player prior to Howie???like uh 82???

I seem to remember another Player..

gingerbreadman · Post by **gingerbreadman** » August 5, 2005 12:07 am

ragtopW wrote:
gingerbreadman wrote:
ragtopW wrote:We Were just wondering how the Band Was doing with Howie
being gone and all

Since Howie died in '03 (sadly) and he had already been out of the band for the Last DJ tour in '02, I would say that Tom and the rest of the HB can still rock, but I do miss Howie. Saw them in Tampa in June, and for being 54 years old, Tom is still up there with the best - including Jimmy, of course!

A good web site for Tom Petty fans is www.mudcrutch.com

I don't want to underrate Jimmy Buffett at the buffettnews web site, but Tom Petty is my personal equal artist to Jimmy Buffett. Because of this, we're gonna go on a crazy one week vacation trip in Aug & Sept: gonna see some friends in Colorado, then see Tom Petty twice at the Red Rocks Amphitheater, then go to Chicago, see from more phriends, and see Jimmy Buffett twice at Wrigley Field for the Labor day weekend show(s).

gonna be a fun week

wasn't there a Bass player prior to Howie???like uh 82???

I seem to remember another Player..

Ron Blair was the original Bass player. Howie played after Ron left (1982), and then Ron played after Howie left, and is still the current Bass player.

ragtopW · Post by **ragtopW** » August 5, 2005 12:25 am

Stan Lynch is still one of the BEST drummers I have ever seen

I have seen TP uh 10 times??

gingerbreadman · Post by **gingerbreadman** » August 5, 2005 12:49 am

ragtopW wrote:Stan Lynch is still one of the BEST drummers I have ever seen

I have seen TP uh 10 times??

About that many times too...

trying to think about the time in the 80's at the Illinois/Chicago outdoor theater that they closed...

what was that name???

ragtopW · Post by **ragtopW** » August 5, 2005 12:55 am

gingerbreadman wrote:
ragtopW wrote:Stan Lynch is still one of the BEST drummers I have ever seen

I have seen TP uh 10 times??
About that many times too...

trying to think about the time in the 80's at the Illinois/Chicago outdoor theater that they closed...

what was that name???

sorry never been there

gingerbreadman · Post by **gingerbreadman** » August 5, 2005 12:58 am

ragtopW wrote:
gingerbreadman wrote:
ragtopW wrote:Stan Lynch is still one of the BEST drummers I have ever seen

I have seen TP uh 10 times??
About that many times too...

trying to think about the time in the 80's at the Illinois/Chicago outdoor theater that they closed...

what was that name???
sorry never been there

I hate to ask...

you are CA??

ragtopW · Post by **ragtopW** » August 5, 2005 12:59 am

gingerbreadman wrote:
ragtopW wrote:
gingerbreadman wrote:
ragtopW wrote:Stan Lynch is still one of the BEST drummers I have ever seen

I have seen TP uh 10 times??
About that many times too...

trying to think about the time in the 80's at the Illinois/Chicago outdoor theater that they closed...

what was that name???
sorry never been there
I hate to ask...

you are CA??

Was, now Boise Idaho!!!!

gingerbreadman · Post by **gingerbreadman** » August 5, 2005 1:08 am

ragtopW wrote:
gingerbreadman wrote:
ragtopW wrote:
gingerbreadman wrote:
ragtopW wrote:Stan Lynch is still one of the BEST drummers I have ever seen

I have seen TP uh 10 times??
About that many times too...

trying to think about the time in the 80's at the Illinois/Chicago outdoor theater that they closed...

what was that name???
sorry never been there
I hate to ask...

you are CA??
Was, now Boise Idaho!!!!

Cool! Is that not the biggest place in ID?

Some friends of mine live in spokane WA - sorta close!??

I assume you got broadband

ragtopW · Post by **ragtopW** » August 6, 2005 10:10 pm

gingerbreadman wrote:
ragtopW wrote:
gingerbreadman wrote:
ragtopW wrote:
gingerbreadman wrote:
ragtopW wrote:Stan Lynch is still one of the BEST drummers I have ever seen

I have seen TP uh 10 times??
About that many times too...

trying to think about the time in the 80's at the Illinois/Chicago outdoor theater that they closed...

what was that name???
sorry never been there
I hate to ask...

you are CA??
Was, now Boise Idaho!!!!
Cool! Is that not the biggest place in ID?

Some friends of mine live in spokane WA - sorta close!??

I assume you got broadband

Spokane is about a 1 hour hop and about a 10 hour drive

no I have Dialup
I have had some large issues with the local cable co..

gingerbreadman · Post by **gingerbreadman** » August 6, 2005 11:28 pm

ragtopW wrote:
gingerbreadman wrote:
ragtopW wrote:
gingerbreadman wrote:
ragtopW wrote:
gingerbreadman wrote: About that many times too...

trying to think about the time in the 80's at the Illinois/Chicago outdoor theater that they closed...

what was that name???
sorry never been there
I hate to ask...

you are CA??
Was, now Boise Idaho!!!!
Cool! Is that not the biggest place in ID?

Some friends of mine live in spokane WA - sorta close!??

I assume you got broadband
Spokane is about a 1 hour hop and about a 10 hour drive

no I have Dialup
I have had some large issues with the local cable co..

Dialup is bad these days, but it does work.

I recall now, Poplar Creek was the name of venue that I first saw Tom Petty & the HB's in the mid '80s. About midway between the northwest Chicago suburbs and Rockford. When the New World Music Theater in Tinley Park was built (aka the "Tweeter Center"), Poplar Creek could not compete.

Lightning Bolt · Post by **Lightning Bolt** » August 7, 2005 1:34 am

Looking forward to TP coming to Coors in two more weeks
Black Crowes opening ain't half bad, either!