Country music singer Chris Stapleton remembers Tom Petty fondly.
On the heels of what would have been Petty’s 70th birthday, Stapleton shared a picture of the two of them on Instagram. He also promoted the upcoming 70th Bash Stream, which will stream this Friday at 7 p.m. on TomPetty.com.
Stapleton Cherishes the Memories
“Tuesday would have been Tom Petty’s 70th birthday,” Stapleton wrote. “I can safely say that no other musical influence is as ever present in my mind. The words that I choose and the notes that I play and sing are firmly rooted in listening to his records. I’m forever grateful for the moments our musical paths crossed.”
Stapleton shared a stage with Petty in 2017 before his untimely death. It took a year and a half to arrange those three shows together, Taste of Country reported, but Stapleton treasures the memory.
“I got to spend a few minutes with Tom, talking, and the last thing he said to me was, ‘I hope we get to do more of this,’” Stapleton said. “I left there thinking that we would get to do more of it, and I’m so heartbroken and sad that he’s no longer with us. He’s given us so much music.
He’s brought so much joy to so many people who have listened to his songs and his songwriting, and his singing and his guitar playing.”
Friday’s Bash
Friday’s online concert will feature an array of artists. Beck, the Flaming Lips, the Foo Fighters, Lucinda Williams, Norah Jones, Stevie Nicks and more, including Stapleton. It actually consists of two parts, according to Rolling Stone.
The bash begins on SiriusXM at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Hosting the early portion are journalist David Fricke, producer Mark Felsot, musician Jason Hedges and his wife Sarah Hedges. Later, the livestream, which is also available on Twitch, will feature tons of performances.
The event will stretch over five hours total, with testimonials and tributes as well as music.
All told, the festivities will help to raise funds for several worthy causes. Those include Save Our Stages, Arts in Medicine, Digitunity and MusiCares.