Mike Campbell is not planning to regroup the Heartbreakers in the near future as he is still mourning the death of the band leader, three years after his passing.
- Nov 27, 2020
AceShowbiz - Tom Petty's longtime sidekick Mike Campbell isn't quite ready to regroup the Heartbreakers three years after the band leader's death.
The guitarist admits he's sure he will consider a reunion "at some point in the future," but he's still heartbroken about his longtime pal and collaborator's passing in 2017.
Campbell tells Rolling Stone he's well aware Petty wanted to hit the road and perform his Wildflowers album in its entirety, and so that's something that might happen.
"I'm not ready emotionally to have the Heartbreakers in a room and go '1, 2, 3, 4...' and look around and Tom's not there," Mike explains. "I need to grieve a little more to get to that point in time, but I'm not against the idea. I do miss the guys, but Tom left a huge hole in the band."
"It would have to be almost a voice from beyond, almost like, 'Guys, do this for me'. If I got that message, I would present it to the other guys. But it hasn't been that long. We're still grieving very deeply. It's a big loss."
Campbell and fellow longtime Heartbreakers bandmate Benmont Tench recently worked with Petty's daughters and Rick Rubin, among others, and put together the "Wildflowers & All the Rest" box set, which was released last month (Oct20). It featured home recordings and previously unreleased tracks, while Campbell and Tench lovingly recalled working with Petty on the album for the liner notes.
