tom petty tour 1986

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This page is our attempt to document the touring history (and as many setlists as possible!) of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. 

Much (although not all) of this is taken from the Gigography  previously hosted on Mudcrutch Farm, the Tour History previously hosted on Gone Gator, and various Wayback Machine archives of TomPetty.com. 

If you have a setlist not yet posted here (or notice any mistakes in our existing ones), please contact us .

Early Shows 1976-1977 | You're Gonna Get It! 1978 | Damn The Torpedoes 1979-1980 | Hard Promises 1981 | Long After Dark 1982-1983 | Southern Accents 1985 | True Confessions 1986 (w. Bob Dylan) | Rock 'n' Roll Caravan 1987 (w. Georgia Satellites & Del Fuegos) | Temple in Flames 1987 (w. Bob Dylan & Roger McGuinn) | Strange Behavior Tour 1989 | More Strange Behavior Tour 1990 | Touring the Great Wide Open 1991-1992 | Dogs with Wings 1995 | Fillmore House Band 1997 | Echo Tour 1999 | Way Out West/East Coast Invasion 2001 | The Last DJ 2002 | The Lost Cities Tour 2003 | For The Hell Of It Tour 2005 | Highway Companion / 30th Anniversary Tour 2006 | Mudcrutch 2008 | Summer Tour 2008 | Mojo Tour 2010 | Summer Tour 2012 | Summer Tour 2013 | 2014 Tour | Mudcrutch 2016 |  40th Anniversary Tour 2017

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• Dylan, Bob with Petty, Tom and the Heartbreakers
• July 15, 1986 Setlist

Bob Dylan with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Setlist at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA

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• Shake a Hand ( Faye Adams  cover) Play Video
• Positively 4th Street ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• Clean Cut Kid ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• I'll Remember You ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• Shot of Love ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• We Had It All ( Donnie Fritts  cover) Play Video
• Masters of War ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• The Times They Are A-Changin' ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• One Too Many Mornings ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• It Ain't Me, Babe ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know ( The Davis Sisters  cover) Play Video
• Band of the Hand ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• When the Night Comes Falling From the Sky ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• Lonesome Town ( Ricky Nelson  cover) Play Video
• Ballad of a Thin Man ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• Seeing the Real You at Last ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• Across the Borderline ( Ry Cooder  cover) Play Video
• I and I ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• Like a Rolling Stone ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• In the Garden ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• Blowin' in the Wind ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video
• Unchain My Heart ( Ray Charles and His Orchestra  cover) Play Video
• Knockin' on Heaven's Door ( Bob Dylan  cover) Play Video

Edits and Comments

34 activities (last edit by kfinch , 5 Apr 2024, 00:36 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• Across the Borderline by Ry Cooder
• Ballad of a Thin Man by Bob Dylan
• Band of the Hand by Bob Dylan
• Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan
• Clean Cut Kid by Bob Dylan
• I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know by The Davis Sisters
• I and I by Bob Dylan
• I'll Remember You by Bob Dylan
• In the Garden by Bob Dylan
• It Ain't Me, Babe by Bob Dylan
• Knockin' on Heaven's Door by Bob Dylan
• Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan
• Lonesome Town by Ricky Nelson
• Masters of War by Bob Dylan
• One Too Many Mornings by Bob Dylan
• Positively 4th Street by Bob Dylan
• Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 by Bob Dylan
• Seeing the Real You at Last by Bob Dylan
• Shake a Hand by Faye Adams
• Shot of Love by Bob Dylan
• The Times They Are A-Changin' by Bob Dylan
• Unchain My Heart by Ray Charles and His Orchestra
• We Had It All by Donnie Fritts
• When the Night Comes Falling From the Sky by Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

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Bob Dylan with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Gig Timeline

• Jul 11 1986 Hartford Civic Center Hartford, CT, USA Add time Add time
• Jul 13 1986 Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saratoga Springs, NY, USA Add time Add time
• Jul 15 1986 Madison Square Garden This Setlist New York, NY, USA Add time Add time
• Jul 16 1986 Madison Square Garden New York, NY, USA Add time Add time
• Jul 17 1986 Madison Square Garden New York, NY, USA Add time Add time

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Bob dylan with tom petty / summer tour 1986 in kansas /1cdr.

in 1980s , Bob Dylan , Tom Petty 2014/06/18 1,357 Views

Bob Dylan With Tom Petty / Summer Tour 1986 In Kansas /1CDR / Project Zip

Translated Text

Live At Sandstone Amphitheater, Bonner Springs, Kansas July 24th 1986. Soundboard

Click Image To Enlarge

Sandstone Amphitheatre performances July 24 Kansas Bonner Springs comes up for the first time by the sound board sound source from the 1986 “True Confessions Tour” of Bob Dylan with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers!

I do not miss the collector is the only recording of a concert the second half but unfortunately because it is valuable as a live recording of the sound source Summer tour at this time.

It is the appearance of the title of attention, including number of duet with Tom Petty at this time only!

ボブ・ディラン・ウィズ・トム・ペティ＆ザ・ハートブレイカーズの１９８６年”トゥルー・コンフェッション・ツアー”から７月２４日カンサス州ボナー・スプリングスのサンドストーン・アンフィシアター公演がサウンドボード音源で初登場！ 残念ながらコンサート後半のみの収録ですがこの時のサマー・ツアーの記録音源として貴重なライブなのでコレクターは見逃せません。 この時期ならではのトム・ペティとのデュエット・ナンバー含め注目のタイトルの登場です！

Live At Sandstone Amphitheater, Bonner Springs, Kansas July 24th 1986 01. RAINY DAY WOMEN #12&35 02. SEEING THE REAL YOU AT LAST 03. ACROSS THE BORDERLINE 04. I AND I 05. Band Introductions 06. LEOPARD-SKIN PILL-BOX HAT 07. LIKE A ROLLING STONE 08. IN THE GARDEN 09. BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND 10. SHAKE A HAND 11. KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR

Project Zip. PJZ497

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How Tom Petty’s friendship led to Lucinda Williams coheadlining tour with the Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell

N ot long after Lucinda Williams released her breakthrough album “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,” Tom Petty invited her and her band to open shows on the Heartbreakers 1999 summer tour.

Williams and Petty had admired each others works for years, and a friendship between them, and Williams and Heartbreaker guitarist Mike Campbell, too, blossomed as the bands trekked across the United States, Williams says.

“I just always felt connected musically and spiritually with Tom Petty and his guys,” she says from her home in Nashville, a few days before embarking on a co-headlining tour with Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs. “They were all really good to me.

Lucinda Williams’ co-headlining tour with Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs plays the Bellwether in Los Angeles on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 and the Sound in Del Mar on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (Photo by Danny Clinch)

“Tom himself went out one night and introduced me to his audience,” Williams continues. “Because he knew what it was like to open up for a big-name rock star. Nobody knew who I was yet, and so his audience would be sitting there with their arms crossed, like, you know, waiting for me to finish and for him to come out.

“And so one night, he saw that happening, so he went out, followed me out on stage,” she says. “He went up to the mic and said, ‘Now I want you to listen to this next artist, pay attention, because she’s really good.’

“It just blew my mind, but that gives you an idea of the kind of person he was.”

Eighteen years later, Williams opened three 2017 shows at the Hollywood Bowl, which after Petty’s unexpected death a week later, would be the final shows he and the Heartbreakers ever played.

“But I stayed in touch with the Petty guys, the crew and the band and everybody,” she says. “Mike Campbell always had his band, the Dirty Knobs, and he was recording some stuff on his own (for the 2024 release “Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits.”) I went over to his house in L.A. and sang on this one song.

“And I don’t know, one thing led to another, and there was just kind of bubbling about like we should do some shows together,” Williams says.

Lucinda Williams and Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs come to the Bellwether in Los Angeles on Friday, Sept. 27 and to the Sound in Del Mar on Sunday, Sept. 29. Both are also part of Life Is A Carnival, an all-star tribute to the late Robbie Robertson , at the Kia Forum on Oct. 17.

In an interview edited for length and clarity, Williams talks about her plans with Campbell for their co-headlining tour, her 2023 album “Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart,” writing the 2023 memoir “Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You,” and more.

Q: That story about Tom Petty coming out with you is so sweet.

A: I know, it just warmed my heart.

Q: So you and Mike will do your individual sets, but some together too?

A: We’re going to collaborate a little bit, yeah. Do some of our own stuff and then do some songs together. It should be really fun. I mean, I love his playing, and he’s really good in his own right.

Q: I feel like I’ve seen him guest with you before somewhere.

A: There might have been something when we opened for them at the Hollywood Bowl. I’m embarrassed to say I can’t remember.

Q: I was thinking it might have been when you did those five album shows at the El Rey.

A: Yeah, we’d have a special guest come out each night. That sounds more probable. [ Campbell joined Williams in 2007 on the night she played ‘Car Wheels’ in full.]

Q: ‘Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart’ feels like a looser rock and roll record, maybe a bit lighter than 2020’s ‘Good Souls Better Angels,’ which was kind of intense.

A: Well, I think because, like you said, some of the other albums had some pretty dark, intense songs on them, because there was dark, intense stuff going on in the country at that time. Because of a certain president. There was that, the election, and then the pandemic. A lot of stuff to come back from. That was what was permeating the air.

And I had my stroke (in 2020) and a tornado hit my house in Nashville. So we ended up with songs (on the last album) like ‘New York Comeback and ‘Rock n Roll Heart,’ like just about surviving and staying strong, and staying true to yourself.

There was a sense of, ‘OK, we got to get through this.’ And a lot of people were having to do that for different reasons. It was almost apocalyptic, you know: the tornado, my stroke, the pandemic, Tom Petty’s death. So that’s kind of what the album came out of.

Q: How did the stroke affect writing and recording the new songs. I know you had to relearn your guitar.

A: I’m still working on that. That was the main big issue, not being able to play. That affected things in the studio. The process when I go in the studio would be I would sit and play and sing, and the band would follow me. Because I have a certain way I play, which fits, especially if I’m writing the song. Like just the tempo and the feel and the vibe is coming for me.

I can sing, but somebody else is going to have to play acoustic rhythm guitar, which isn’t going to be like I’m going to do it. So that was a huge hurdle to try to get over.

Q: The song ‘Let’s Get the Band Back Together’ reminds how important being part of band has been to you, whether it was your L.A. band in the late ’80s and early ’90s or bands later in Austin and Nashville.

A: It’s very important, yeah. You know, when I first started out, I didn’t have a band. It was just me and my guitar and voice. Everything changed when I started working with a band. It’s such a totally different thing that being a solo artist.

Q: What are things you’ve gotten out of being part of a band?

A: The songwriting starts being a little different, because you have a band to present it through. You can take advantage of that. And maybe the songs might come out like rock songs more, because you do have that band, you’ve got drums and bass, which shapes everything, as opposed to the singer-songwriter vibe.

Q: You had some fun collaborators on the last album, including Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa. How’d that happen?

A:  [Longtime friend and collaborator] Jesse Malin was really instrumental in getting Bruce and his wife Patti involved. He pretty much knows every sing person in New York City, so Jesse was like, ‘Let me see if I can get ahold of him,’ and sure enough he did.

Bruce was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll do something on it.’ [Springsteen and Scialfa sing on ‘New York Comeback’ and “Rock n Roll Heart’] They went into the studio where they are, in New Jersey, and put down some vocal stuff. They really cared about it and took their time doing to get the right sound and all that.

And then we got this wonderful email from Patti, describing how much they loved the songs, and nobody’s writing songs like this anymore. That was really nice to hear from her.

Q: ‘Rock n Roll Heart’ in particular sounds like a song Bruce would love.

A: So yeah, that song, one of the ideas for that was from something that Tom [husband Tom Overby] had read in an interview with Bruce Springsteen , who had described the feeling when he was a certain age and had discovered rock and roll. There was a quote from him in this interview where he said, ‘Rock and roll reached down and pulled me out,’ something like that.

So that song has the same line in it that Bruce has said. He said rock and roll reached out and kind of yanked him out of his house, and there he went. That was how it all started. And so that inspired the song.

Q: I recently read your memoir which has a nice mix of personal stories and stories about making all the music you’ve done.

A: Yeah, there’s some of that in there, after you dig through all of the me being smitten by this guy and the other guys.

Q: That’s pretty interesting too.

A: I was worried about too much of that in there.

Q: I suspect most readers enjoyed that glimpse into your private life. What was it like, though, putting all of that personal material, including your mother’s mental illness, out there in the book last year?

A: I talked about it a little bit before on stage. My book was kind of a natural progression, it felt, from the stories I would tell on stage behind a lot of the songs. And I wanted to talk about my mother’s mental illness because it’s always been taboo, in a way, to discuss mental illness. I decided I was going to start discussing it because it’s no different than saying my mother suffered from cancer or diabetes or something.

Q: You lived in Los Angeles, and I know you and Tom bought a house here at one point. Do you still have it?

A: We do. That’s where we met and we bought our house there. So it’s still in my heart. I love L.A. There still a soft spot in my heart for Los Angeles.

Q: Your writing and music have obvious Southern influences from your origins there. You’ve spent a lot of time in Southern California. How has it influenced your music?

A: It’s definitely there. There was a Southern California sound, you know, and some of the artists that came out of that, probably more in the ’70s, I guess, I always loved. Bands like the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Eagles . I love that sound, that kind of blend of country and rock. Linda Ronstadt , Jackson Browne , and all that stuff.

Q: You write in the book how much you love to tour and play live. Is it still as enjoyable as it ever was?

A: I mean, yeah, I love getting on stage and singing, especially when the songs are good and the band’s really pumping away. And the audience is listening, and all those things are in place. There’s nothing like it when it’s all working together. It’s just a great feeling.

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He was Tom Petty's co-captain. How Mike Campbell became captain of his own ship

For nearly 50 years, Mike Campbell shared the spotlight with a legend he refers to as “my brother” — the late Tom Petty, whose death in 2017 changed everything for Campbell, a brilliant guitarist who co-wrote such Heartbreakers classics as “Refugee,” “Here Comes My Girl” and “A Woman in Love (It’s Not Me)."

Now he’s touring the States at the helm of Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs , a band he started as a side gig when the Heartbreakers were still a thing.

They’re playing Mesa Arts Center with Lucinda Williams in support of an album called “Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits” that features guest appearances by Williams, Graham Nash , Chris Stapleton and Benmont Tench, who played with Campbell in the Heartbreakers and an early Petty band called Mudcrutch.

Campbell checked in from the road to talk about his latest album, what it meant to tour with Fleetwood Mac and his relationship with Petty.

Mike Campbell says the Dirty Knobs are 'getting better all the time'

How's this tour been going with Lucinda?

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Really good. It's different, you know? We do an hour. She does an hour. Then we do some stuff together. I just love her voice. She's amazing.

Did you have any goals going into the making of “Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits” as to what kind of record you wanted to make?

Yeah, a great record. I want to write a great song, and I want to have the band play great, get a nice recording. And get better. That's the only goal.

Do you feel you have been getting better?

Well, if we hadn't, I wouldn't be doing it. We're getting better all the time. And I'm working on getting my vocals a little more comfortable. I'm getting there. We're all very proud of this record. I thought the band played great on it. We don't labor over the tracks. That's how I like to work these days. So they're a perfect band for me.

Mike Campbell on finding his own voice after losing Tom Petty

When you talk about getting more comfortable with your vocals, what do you mean?

For many years, I never really sang because I had Tom. And he's pretty intimidating (laughs). In a good way. But I didn't even think about trying to sing until I got so many songs that he couldn't deal with them all. So I started tampering with it a little. You can teach yourself to sing in pitch. Within your own range.

But you have to find a personality. And I had a little trouble when I first started singing. I tended to sound, unintentionally, a little bit like Tom. My inflections, my accent and all. So I worked on trying to filter that out. I'm getting there.

I can see where that would happen, being in a band with someone whose voice is so distinctive, writing songs with that distinctive voice in mind.

Yeah, it's been a transition. But it's been really exciting because I'm finding the voice. I'm finding the lyrics. I'm starting to get more astute at putting my lyrics together, not just settling for the first rhyme, trying to dig deeper and make the songs more interesting. So I am enjoying the process. That's really where my addiction is, is in the writing of songs. It's a mysterious thing. They just come out of the air, but I'm learning how to grab them.

Mike Campbell on writing 'The Greatest' as a thank you to his fans

“The Greatest” is such a perfect way to start this album. Could you talk about the inspiration for that song?

The previous tour, we had such a great audience, I felt it would be nice to thank them and figured the best way to do it is to thank them in a song. I wrote it in 10 minutes, on the couch as the band was heading over. It's very simple, but the sentiment is you guys make our music worthwhile and give us purpose.

I saw you headline the Van Buren here in Phoenix and it definitely felt like the audience was in your corner.

Now that you mention it, you're right. They were. We've had that everywhere we've gone. A lot of them are Heartbreakers fans, but they accept me. Another thing that I've been learning is that I had such an easy job with Tom. All I had to do was play guitar. He did all the heavy lifting at the microphone.

You’ve gotta sing in pitch, you've gotta remember the lyrics, you've gotta lead the band, you've gotta engage the audience. I'm getting a lot better at bringing the audience into the party. That's a real special part of the show, because they do get involved and they respond. I think I've learned some of those talents from Tom.

Mike Campbell says 'I like to honor the legacy, but not lean on it'

The guitar is still a big part of your show.

Oh absolutely. That's what I've done my whole career. So you're gonna see a lot of guitar. I feel a responsibility to do a lot of guitar playing. That's my main talent, I guess, if you want to call it a talent. And even though it's the Dirty Knobs and we're doing our own thing, I have a responsibility to do a few of the old songs now and then.

Most of those songs I co-wrote with Tom, so it's fun to bring them to this band, and the audience recognizes them, so they enjoy it. And I like playing them. I found certain ones that I can sing strongly. Or more confidently.

I've seen you referred to as the keeper of the Heartbreakers flame. Do you see yourself that way?

Well, like it or not, I guess I am. Tom used to call me the co-captain. Steve Ferrone, our drummer now, was in the Heartbreakers for a couple decades. He introduces me at the show, and the other night he goes, 'Tom always called Mike the co-captain and now he's the captain of his own ship.’"

But when I do a Heartbreakers song, I'm not necessarily gonna do a hit. I might do some stuff on the albums that didn't get that much attention. And that's fun, too, to bring those songs to life. So I like to honor the legacy, but not lean on it.

How did it feel to work with Benmont on this record?

I mean, he's the best there is. He's gonna do some stuff later in the year with me. I keep in touch with him a lot. I seriously think he's one of the best, if not the best rock and roll piano player around. The Heartbreakers were really fortunate to have him.

You said you're gonna do some stuff with him later this year?

I don't know if I'm supposed to talk about it yet, but there's a Life Is a Carnival Tour. It's a Band tribute that Don Was and Martin Scorsese have put together. I think Ben and I are gonna do that tour. So that'll be exciting. And it's a good chance to play with Ben again, which I miss. But I'm also very fortunate that our guitar player in the Dirty Knobs is also a keyboardist and an amazing harmony singer, so with him in the band, we've been able to add some organ and piano here and there, which has really fleshed out the sound. It's not just a two-guitar army.

Was there a point at which you felt the Dirty Knobs had hit their stride?

It was an organic development. We started out as friends in the studio and then went out and played a few little bars around LA for fun. And it got better and better. Then as I started to think about “Should I take it to the next level?,” I realized I don't really want to do that while the Heartbreakers are working, because it didn't feel right. It felt disloyal or something. I was really loyal to the Heartbreakers. But I always figured someday, in the future, if the Heartbreakers aren't doing anything ... Unfortunately, things happened the way they did, when Tom passed away. But now there's that avenue open, and that's what I want to do.

On losing Tom Petty: 'I miss my brother. But I have to move forward'

Was it hard at first to go out and play music after losing what you had with Tom?

Grieving is hard, and I'm still grieving. But that's what keeps me sane. Whatever happens, I'm gonna play music. I'm not gonna quit. But I still have my moments. Occasionally on stage, if we're doing a Heartbreakers song, I'll get a little lump in my throat because I miss my brother. But I have to move forward.

It always seemed like you guys had a great relationship on stage.

We had a great relationship in all ways. We started out together in Gainesville as scruffy little kids and did that whole journey together. It's incredible. The songwriting really bonds you to someone. And we were just cut from the same cloth, for lack of a better phrase.

There's such vulnerability in songwriting, I can see where that would bring you closer to someone, sharing your creative energies.

Tom and I, we had a way we worked, which was not quite as intimidating. I would usually work on music by myself and present a demo that was relatively realized already. And if he liked it, he would sing over it and come up with a song. So we rarely sat eyeball to eyeball trying to work something out. It was usually me on my own and him on his own. Then we’d get together and see what we’ve got.

How Stevie Nicks pulled him out of his grief with Fleetwood Mac tour

I saw you with Fleetwood Mac, and Stevie Nicks is from Phoenix. Do you have any favorite memories of working with Stevie?

I have lots of memories. I love Stevie. We've had a connection for many, many years, back to “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” and then the Fleetwood Mac thing. You spoke about getting over the grief. That kind of popped into my lap when I really was deep in grief, and it gave me something to pull me out. I'll always be grateful to her for that. I went and did that tour. It was a challenge, but I enjoyed it. We went all around the world, and they travel beyond first class. They treated me like royalty. We saw every country in the world and played great music every night. I learned a lot. And I have a lot of devotion for Stevie. She's one of a kind.

More Stevie: How Stevie Nicks launched her solo career with 'Stop Draggin' My Heart Around'

You’ve got some interesting guests on this album, not just Benmont. I was hoping you could talk a little bit about how some of those guests came to be involved, like Graham Nash.

Graham, of course, is someone I've always respected and admired. I had to do this little radio show called the Breakdown on Tom Petty Radio. He was a guest on there. And I was in the middle of my record. I got up the courage to ask him if he would be open to singing a song. And he said he would. So I sent him the finished track, and he put vocals on it and sent it back. I just flipped out, you know? He made it sound like the Hollies.

Lucinda was in town, also doing the radio show. I pulled her arm and said, “Hey, would you sing on a song?” And she just killed it. She brought so much soul and beauty to the song. And Chris Stapleton, who I'd been writing with before, he stopped by between getting awards at the Grammys. I said, “Hey, you want to sing on this song?” So he put a verse on the song and a little bit on the chorus.

Then I thought, “Well, (expletive), this is such a rocker. I should get Ben to come over.” So I called him up. He just lived up the street. He came over and played the piano one time, did his brilliant thing. Things just seem to fall into my lap. I don't know what it is. I'm very lucky.

Lucinda Williams with Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs

When:  7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25.

Where: Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St.

Admission: $45-$95.

Details: 480-644-6500,  mesaartscenter.com

Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more. He did the same in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. Follow him on X and Instagram @edmasley and on Facebook as Ed Masley. Email him at [email protected].