Tom Petty Wants To Embark On ‘Wildflowers’ Tour Next Year
Photo by Sam Jones
In 1994 Tom Petty released the iconic Wildflowers album, but the LP was originally envisioned as a double album. Petty is considering performing Wildflowers the way it was originally intended to be heard on tour next year as per an interview with Rolling Stone.
Tom Petty is currently on the road with Mudcrutch, yet has his eye on regrouping The Heartbreakers to play Wildflowers in 2017. “I want to take the Heartbreakers and whoever else I need to reproduce every sound in a big way,” Petty told Rolling Stone. “That album was really about sound in a big way. I would like to go out there and perform the entire album as it was originally conceived with all of the songs.”
After more than 20 years fans are still waiting for an expanded version of Wildflowers, though Petty included some outtakes from the sessions on a soundtrack for She’s The One that came out in 1996. “I think I put four of the [Wildflowers outtakes] on the She’s The One soundtrack just to fill out the album,” Petty explained to Rolling Stone. “But they were very hastily mixed. Take ‘Climb That Hill.’ There’s a version of that on She’s The One, but the Wildflowers one I think is extremely better. I’m gonna put that out. ‘Hung Up And Overdue’ is another one we remixed and it turned into an epic. I had Carl Wilson [of the Beach Boys] and [Heartbreakers bassist] Howie Epstein singing quite a bit of harmony that didn’t come through on the original. Then again, there’s probably six songs that nobody has heard. There’s 11 or 12 [new] songs on the album. I think people are going to like it a lot. I like it a lot.”
While Tom Petty had been against full album performances in the past he changed his tune recently. “I’ve changed my mind because nobody has ever done something like this where you’re previewing the second part of a never-released album,” Petty revealed. “How often does that happen? It’s old and new at the same time.”
As for now there are no Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers dates on the books as the rocker focuses on Mudcrutch. Head to RollingStone.com for more from Petty.
