Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers Reunite for Americana Awards Performance

Original Heartbreakers Mike Campbell, Stan Lynch and Ron Blair, with Chris Stapleton, performing at the Americana Awards in Nashville, Sept. 16, 2026.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers received Lifetime Achievement honors last night (Sept. 16, 2026) at the American Awards in Nashville. The original members of the band—Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Stan Lynch and Ron Blair—opened the annual awards show with a special reunion performance, the original lineup’s first time performing together in almost 25 years—at their 2002 Rock Hall induction—alongside Chris Stapleton, performing “American Girl” and “Breakdown” from the band’s 1976 debut album. Longtime Heartbreakers Steve Ferrone and Scott Thurston also joined the group for a final song, “You Wreck Me.”

The four original members participated in a panel held on Sept. 17. Campbell noted that Stapleton, set to sing lead, missed his cue on the first number. “We were looking at him going…,” he said. “And he came in like ‘…American girl,” he added. [The country star had omitted the opening lyric, “Well, she was an…”]

Campbell relayed that Stapleton admitted afterwards, “I was so completely enthralled listening to you guys [perform], I forgot to sing!”

Although various combinations of the band have performed together since their leader died on Oct. 20, 2017, it’s usually been just two or three members. The first such occasion was when Campbell, Tench and Ferrone formed the backing band at Stephen Stills’ 2018 “Light Up the Blues” benefit concert, just six months after Petty died.

The performance took place on the same day that the Tom Petty Estate announced a comprehensive new box set, Origins 1971-1978, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the band, out November 6 via UMe. [The Super Deluxe LP set is available to order in the U.S. here; the Super Deluxe CD set is available to order in the U.S. here. Both are available to order in Canada here and in the U.K. here.]

Looking over Benmont Tench’s shoulder during the Sept. 16, 2016 performance.

Guitarist-vocalist Campbell continues to tour throughout the fall with his band The Dirty Knobs (including Ferrone on drums) [tickets are available here and here] in support of their latest record, Mission of Mercy. Keyboardist Tench’s latest solo album, The Melancholy Season, is also out and he has October tour dates in the Western United States. Drummer Lynch’s band The Speaker Wars, formed with singer/songwriter John Christopher Davis, recently released their debut self-titled album. Lynch departed the Heartbreakers in 1994. The album is available in the U.S. here.

At the Sept. 17 panel, Lynch was asked about the performance. “I’m still processing it,” he said. “It’s emotional. Part of me is I want to do a good job for these guys. I have a lot of respect for them, so my main thing is, I want to do right. But my first reaction to the whole thing was, yeah, this is a really good band. I’m proud to be in it. I love these guys, and I just want to do right.”

Related: Our 2025 interview with Stan Lynch