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Chris Stapleton took the stage with the Heartbreakers in the band’s first performance since frontman Tom Petty’s death in 2017.
Stapleton led the original Heartbreakers lineup at the Americana Honors & Awards on Wednesday evening (September 16). The event took place at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Stapleton’s team-up with the Heartbreakers marked the original lineup’s first performance in 24 years, following their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. It was also the band’s first performance since losing Petty. He was 66. Stapleton presented the posthumous award to Petty and the Heartbreakers after performing “American Girl,” “Breakdown” and “You Wreck Me,” with the band. Petty’s daughter, Adria Petty, thanked Stapleton and shared a heartfelt speech in honor of her late father.
“Congratulations to Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers on the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award. Proud to be a part of this moment with you,” Stapleton posted on Instagram on Thursday (September 17).
The Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell said in a panel on Thursday that “it was emotional, and fun, and a thrill to play with Chris Stapleton,” according to Variety.
Petty, long known as a classic rocker, transcended genres and influenced many artists in country. In 2024, Stapleton and other country stars teamed up on a historic, 20-track album that featured renditions of Petty’s hits, curated by many of his friends and collaborators. Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty featured Stapleton, Dolly Parton (who was also honored at the Americana Honors & Awards), Luke Combs, Lady A, Wynonna Judd, Lainey Wilson, Willie Nelson, Lukas Nelson, George Strait and more. Marty Stuart said in a statement at the time, “there’s just a special magic about him [Petty]. …It’s incredibly rare to find musicians who can navigate and completely understand the intersection of Rock & Roll, Country, Gospel and Folk. That’s what Tom (Petty) & The Heartbreakers did so well. They’re America’s greatest Rock & Roll band.”