Free Fallin': The Tom Petty Concert Experience at the Rust Belt -- November 25.
Friday, November 25, 8 p.m.
The Rust Belt, 533 12th Avenue, East Moline IL
The thrilling repertoire of a three-time Grammy Award winner and recipient of the esteemed Billboard Century Award will be celebrated at East Moline venue the Rust Belt on November 25, with the Minnesotan tribute artists of Free Fallin': The Tom Petty Concert Experience saluting the legendary bandleader of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and the remarkable career that saw more than a dozen of his songs topping the Billboard charts.
Serving as lead vocalist and guitarist lead vocalist and guitarist for the rock band Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers that was formed in 1976, Petty previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the late-1980s super=group the Traveling Wilburys, and had considerable success as a solo artist. Petty's singles with the Heartbreakers include 1976's "American Girl," 1979's "Don't Do Me Like That," 1980's "Refugee," 1981's "The Waiting," 1985's "Don't Come Around Here No More," and 1991's "Learning to Fly." The artist's solo hits, meanwhile, include 1989's "I Won't Back Down," 1994's "You Don't Know How It Feels," and the song for which the Rust Belt's Thanksgiving-Friday guests are named: 1989's "Free Fallin'."
Performing solo or with the Heartbreakers, Petty had hit albums from the 1970s through the 2010s and sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In addition, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002; Petty was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year in 2017 for his contributions to music and his philanthropy; and the musician also had a minor acting career, most notably starring in a recurring role as the voice of Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt in the animated comedy series King of the Hill from 2004 to the show's end in 2009. Prior to his passing in 2017, Petty also had three albums -- Wildflowers, Damn the Torpedoes, and Full Moon Fever -- included on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list. plus two songs on the magazine's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time list": "American Girl" and "Free Fallin'."
The Minneapolis based Free Fallin: The Tom Petty Concert Experience has successfully toured the country since 2007 and played before thousands of fans at many festivals, fairs, venues, and concerts in the United States and Canada. Along the way, they have evolved into a complete and spectacular live-music production. Their show, featuring all of Tom’s hits, includes instruments and costumes that re-create the authentic experience of a Tom Petty concert, and the group's breakout 2018 “Broken Hearted Tour” played more than 90 shows in 15 states, among them a set at Tom Petty’s “Birthday Weekend” in his hometown of Gainesville, Florida, where thousands of people from all over the world gathered to celebrate the legend's music.
Free Fallin': The Tom Petty Concert Experience plays its East Moline engagement on November 25, admission to the 8 p.m. concert event starts at $19.75, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRustBeltQC.com.
