A long-lost Tom Petty documentary from the ’80s will be hitting theaters in time for what would have been the rocker’s 74th birthday.
Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party followed Petty and the Heartbreakers during their 1982-83 tour for the album Long After Dark. It originally aired on MTV in 1983, but, according to the description, it “was deemed too experimental and abruptly pulled from the air.”
The film was the directorial debut of Cameron Crowe, and now Crowe and the Petty Estate have come together to restore the film, adding a new intro from the director and 20 minutes of previously unreleased footage.
“’Heartbreakers Beach Party‘ occupies a special place in my heart,” Crowe shares. “I’m so happy we’re bringing it back in all its reckless glory.”
The film is set to have a limited run in theaters on Oct. 17 and Oct. 20, the latter being Petty’s birthday. Tickets are on sale now.
The documentary announcement follows the recent news that a deluxe edition of 1982’s Long After Dark is coming on Oct. 18. The album features the singles “You Got Lucky,” “Change of Heart” and “Straight Into Darkness.”
The deluxe edition includes the remastered original album, plus 12 bonus tracks, among them Petty’s versions of his songs “Never Be You” and “Ways to Be Wicked,” which were previously recorded by Rosanne Cash and Lone Justice, respectively. Other additional tracks were taken from sessions for French TV.
It is available for preorder now.
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