Who: Stevie Nicks, Chris Stapleton, Post Malone, Foo Fighters, Norah Jones, David Fricke, Mark Felsot, Jason Hedges, Sarah Hedges, Caamp, Dawes, Grouplove, Jason Isbell, the Killers, Kurt Vile, the Raconteurs, Resynator, Grace Potter, Starcrawler, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Larkin Poe, Steve Ferrone, Low Cut Connie, Andrew Leahey and the Homestead, Arts in Medicine Hospital Band, Edan Archer, Emma Swift, Hannah Harber, Hannah Wicklund, Have Gun Will Travel, Hedges, Jake Thistle, Jeff Slate’s Weekend Wilburys, Johnathan Coody, Michigan Rattlers, Miss Tess, Mr. Cool, Sunkat, the High Divers, Tristen Orphans
What: Virtual birthday bash for Tom Petty
Where: SiriusXM’s Tom Petty Radio, Amazon Music, tompetty.com
When: Friday, October 23, free, 4:30 – 9:00
Why: The music world, trapped in the pandemic lockdown, is coming out in a big way to celebrate the seventieth birthday of one of their best, Tom Petty, who passed away on October 2, 2017, at the age of sixty-six. In conjunction with the release of Wildflowers & All the Rest, an expanded and remastered version of his 1994 hit solo record, Petty will be feted on October 23 by dozens of his friends, colleagues, bandmates, and musicians who were influenced by his work. From 4:30 to 7:00, SiriusXM’s Tom Petty Radio will broadcast Petty songs along with tributes by such artists as Dawes, Jason Isbell, the Killers, Kurt Vile, the Raconteurs, Starcrawler with Mike Campbell, Larkin Poe with Steve Ferrone, and Jeff Slate’s Weekend Wilburys. That will be followed by the main event, a livestreamed show on tompetty.com featuring performances by Mike Campbell & Benmont Tench, Adam Sandler, Amos Lee, Beck, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Dave Stewart, the Flaming Lips, Foo Fighters, Gary Clark Jr., Jackson Browne, Lady Blackbird, Lucinda Williams, Norah Jones, Roger McGuinn, Spoon, and more, with such special guests as Eddie Vedder, Jakob Dylan, Kiefer Sutherland, Lenny Kravitz, Marty Stuart, Post Malone, Rick Rubin, and Stevie Nicks. It’s free to listen and watch, but donations will be accepted for Save Our Stages, Shands Arts in Medicine, Digitunity, and MusiCares. As Petty famously sang, “You belong among the wildflowers / You belong in a boat out at sea / You belong with your love on your arm / You belong somewhere you feel free,” words to live by in these troubled times.