Heartbreakers reunite after nine years

The band performed together for the first time since Tom Petty's death in 2017, backing Chris Stapleton at the 2026 Americana Honors in Nashville.

Three songs with the original drummer

Stan Lynch, the Heartbreakers' original drummer, played on 'American Girl' and 'Breakdown' before exiting the stage. The entire Ryman Auditorium stood for the emotional performance.

Stapleton sang 'You Wreck Me' with full band

After Lynch left, Stapleton performed 'You Wreck Me' with Mike Campbell, Steve Ferrone, and Scott Thurston, completing a three-song set that moved the crowd.

Campbell gets emotional about Petty

Mike Campbell choked up during the acceptance speech, saying 'Tom, I'm gonna miss rocking around with you.' The band received the Americana Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Tom, I'm gonna miss rocking around with you.”

Band had rejected full reunion tours

The Heartbreakers previously said nobody could fill Petty's shoes and they wouldn't do a full tour with another vocalist. This performance marked a significant change in that stance.

“Nobody can fill those shoes. I can't fill them and I don't know anybody else that I would want to fill them.”

Dolly Parton also honored that night

The Heartbreakers' reunion opened the 2026 Americana Honors, an evening that also paid tribute to Dolly Parton with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award.