In the wake of Tom Petty‘s sudden passing in 2017—which came immediately following an extended celebratory 40th-anniversary tour with The Heartbreakers—we dug back through our favorite gems from the larger-than-life rocker’s prolific career. Any fan knows that such a dive into the work of Tom Petty was bound to turn up uncountable gems, from this effortlessly cool TV interview to the unlikely origins of “Free Fallin'”. That brings us to today’s selection from the archives of Petty greatness: On this date in 1994, Petty & the Heartbreakers performed on Saturday Night Live, delivering renditions of “Honey Bee” and “You Don’t Know How It Feels”.
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For this performance, the band had recruited a special addition: drummer Dave Grohl, who was recently out of work after the death of his Nirvana bandmate, Kurt Cobain, in April of that year. Grohl joined Petty and company for a brief period in 1994. Tom even allegedly offered the young musician a permanent spot in the band, which he turned down (with some difficulty) to start his own new band: Foo Fighters. As Grohl told documentarian Peter Bogdanovich about those days, “I can’t think of any band that sounds like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers…He’s just a badass.”
Below, you can watch a video of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (& Dave Grohl) performance on Saturday Night Live in 1994:
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (with Dave Grohl) – “You Don’t Know How It Feels”
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (with Dave Grohl) – “Honey Bee” + Interviews
[Video: drcturkleton]
This 1977 Interview Proves That Tom Petty Was Coolness Personified [Watch]
Since Petty’s death, we’ve relived everything from the stories behind his biggest hits, to his performance on one of the entertainment industry’s biggest stages as a Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner, and beyond. With each new story you hear, or old recording you revisit, Tom’s greatness is emphasized again and again. We lost a truly special talent when Petty passed on October 2nd, 2017.
Rest easy, Tom…
[Originally published 11/19/17]