FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/ AMANDA CAGAN
TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS START “SWINGIN'”
AS SONG IS THE #1 MOST ADDED TRACK AT ROCK RADIO,
WHILE THE VIDEO WILL DEBUT MONDAY, JULY 19 ON VH1;
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED DOCUMENTARY “400 DAYS” AND
NEW “HIGH GRASS DOGS: LIVE FROM THE FILLMORE”
CONCERT SPECIAL SET TO AIR ON DIRECT TV
THROUGH MID-AUGUST AFTER PREMIERING SATURDAY, JULY 17
Look for VH1 to world premiere “Swingin’,” the new video by TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS on Monday, July 19. Consistently cited in reviews as one of the highlights of the band’s critically acclaimed ECHO album, “Swingin'” is the number one most added song at rock radio in America this week.
For the video, PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS—TOM PETTY (lead vocals, guitars), MIKE CAMPBELL (guitars), HOWIE EPSTEIN (bass, vocals) and BENMONT TENCH (keyboards) with longtime associates SCOTT THURSTON(guitars, harmonica) and drummer STEVE FERRONE–worked for the first time with director Mike Lipscombe. Joining the band in the video are two noted actors who compellingly build on the song’s exploration of life gone astray: Robin Tunney (“Niagra, Niagra,” “The Craft,” “Empire Records,” “Encino Man”) and Luke Wilson (“Home Fries,” “Rushmore,” “Bottle Rocket,” “The X-Files”). The video–in the tradition of such vivid PETTY clips as “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and “Into The Great Wide Open” with their evocative storylines and starring roles by acclaimed actors–was shot over three days at various locations in and around Los Angeles, including the classic Johnie’s diner on Wilshire Blvd.
Fans who want to see TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS perform “Swingin'” and other classics live and in the flesh can do so as the band continues along their in-progress U.S. headlining trek. It will conclude October 16 at the Hollywood Bowl, the venue where TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS performed two record-setting concerts four years ago. You can also catch up with the band in cyberspace at www.tompetty.com.
Meanwhile, in further TV news, fans with the Direct TV satellite system can now check out a previously unreleased documentary entitled “400 Days,” which has been airing since July 10 on Channel 103 as a preview to the band’s new “High Grass Dogs: Live From The Fillmore” concert special, which is set to premiere this Saturday, July 17 at 9:00 PM ET on Channel 101. Both “400 Days” and “High Grass Dogs…” will move to Channel 500 on July 17 (after the initial premiere) and will air back-to-back until mid-August (check local listings for airtimes).
“400 Days” is a compilation of behind-the-scenes footage shot during the recording sessions of TOM PETTY‘s WILDFLOWERS and the “Dogs With Wings” tour and tour rehearsals. Fans will probably recognize some of the footage which was originally used for TOM‘s “You Wreck Me” video from WILDFLOWERS. The documentary as a whole has never been seen in its entirety until now.
The “High Grass Dogs: Live From The Fillmore” concert special was taped in March `99 when TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS performed seven sold-out shows at the historic Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco (March 7-16), which marked their triumphant return to the intimate venue where they played 20 precedent-setting shows in 1997.
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