Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to celebrate 40th anniversary at Xcel
The music and iconography associated with Tom Petty has aged as well as any act fortunate enough to mark four decades in the music business.
He'll get the chance to celebrate with the Twin Cities next year as he and the Heartbreakers will bring their 40th Anniversary Tour to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on June 3.
Why does Petty still matter?
Throughout his career, he has flirted with pop, rock, Americana, and folk. He owned MTV in the '80s, and penned a couple of stoner anthems in "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and "You Don't Know How it Feels" that keep rolling through culture to this day.
His catalog is filled with influential wit, wisdom, and songcraft. The Strokes have admitted that their biggest hit, "Last Nite," was an all-out ripoff of "American Girl." Acts like Red Hot Chili Peppers ("Dani California") and Sam Smith ("Stay With Me") cut even closer to the bone of Petty's songwriting, and underground rockers like the War on Drugs are happy to revive the Heartbreakers' sonic template with great success.
Two vinyl box sets boasting their entire studio album repertoire were released earlier this year.
The tour
Here's a goofy announcement of the tour featuring Jimmy Fallon that keep's Petty's stoner rep intact.
Petty launches this mostly U.S. trek on 4/20 in Oklahoma City, and the rest of the schedule is on his site.
Public ticket sales for the Xcel show begin Friday, Dec. 16 at 10 a.m. A presale for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Highway Companions Club members hits on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 10 a.m.
Here's the link to get tickets via Ticketmaster.
This is Petty's first trip back to the Twin Cities for a performance since playing at Target Center in 2013.
