
EXTRAORDINARY DAMN THE TORPEDOS SHOW BY TOM AND CO. IN 1980 Formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers originally comprised Tom Petty (lead singer, guitar), Mike Campbell (lead guitarist), Ron Blair (bass guitar), Stan Lynch (drums), and Benmont Tench (keyboards). The Heartbreakers began their recording career with their eponymous debut, released through the Shelter label. Initially, the Heartbreakers did not gain much traction in the U.S., although they achieved success in the U.K. playing ‘Anything That Rock n Roll’ on Top of the Pops. By autumn 1979, the Heartbreakers released their third album, Damn The Torpedoes. Something of a breakthrough for the band; it was their first to enter the Billboard top ten, reaching number two, only held off the top spot by Pink Floyd’s The Wall. The Damn The Torpedoes tour began in the US and Canada shortly after the album’s release and by March 1982 had transferred to the UK where the band played shows in Birmingham, Manchester and London. Their 6th March performance at London’s Hammersmith Odeon remains among the entire tour’s finest concerts and was recorded for live FM radio broadcast and transmission across the UK and back home, where it was syndicated in the US too