Exclusive: Watch a Clip from the Upcoming Tom Petty: Live at the Fillmore Documentary

Late last November, with Live at the Fillmore (1997), we finally got to hear an official release culled from Tom Petty’s 20-night residency with his band the Heartbreakers at the legendary San Francisco venue a quarter-century ago. Here at Paste, we were so impressed with Live at the Fillmore (1997), in fact, that it made our Best Box Sets of 2022 list.

While many listeners are no doubt still digesting the 58 songs included in the deluxe editions—Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and producer Ryan Ulyate carved something like a super setlist from professional-grade recordings of six shows—along comes a new mini-documentary that gives us yet another glimpse into one of the most ambitious multi-night stands ever undertaken by a rock band.

If you appreciate the box set—or if you’re just merely curious—the film crams a ton of perspective into its 11-minute runtime. Petty archivist Alison Tavel augments the audio from the box set with insights from members of the Heartbreakers, who reflect back on the band’s motives and expectations going into those dates, which Petty himself described as a career high point.

By 1997, the Heartbreakers were well-established as an arena act. Clearly, they relished the opportunity to bask in the historic vibe of the Fillmore, a place whose intimate confines inspired them to let their hair down and go for broke in ways that their usual road routine didn’t.

“At the Fillmore,” recalls keyboardist Benmont Tench, “we played like we played when nobody was watching.”