Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' 2006 North American "Highway Companions Tour" will begin on June 9 in Charlotte, NC. The tour, which will feature headlining slots at the Bonnaroo Festival (June) and the Austin City Limits Festival (September), will also see some notable special guests, including Pearl Jam, Trey Anastasio and the Allman Brothers Band. The tour will support Petty's soon-to-be-released, Jeff Lynne produced solo album Highway Companion.

In other Petty news, Academy Award-winning director/screenwriter Peter Bogdanovich has commenced work on a comprehensive documentary focusing on Petty & The Heartbreakers' 30 year history. Bogdanovich will intersperse previously recorded interviews, videos and live performances with footage to be shot over the course of the next few months.

"I want to tell this very American story about a small family of musicians who jumped in a car, left Gainesville and drove cross-country to get into the record business," explained Bogdanovich. "How they did it, what happened to them as a result, how this affected their families and friends and the impact their music has had on the music industry and on millions of people's lives." Amongst many other benchmarks of the Heartbreakers' history, Bogdanovich plans to cover the band's early days recording for Shelter Records, their tour with Bob Dylan, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction and Petty's involvement with the Traveling Wilburys.

Labels: Tom Petty