Dec. 12, 2016 By Hannah Wulkan
The recently-renovated Forest Hills Stadium will continue to play host to some of the biggest names in the music industry.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will play two shows at the stadium next summer as part of the band’s 40th anniversary tour, the group announced last week. The rock band is known for classics such as “Free Fallin’” and “I Won’t Back Down.”
The band will play the local stadium on July 26 and 27, with tickets going on sale on January 14.
Petty announced the tour, which will kick off in Oklahoma City in April, in a sketch on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last Thursday.
Forest Hills Stadium was built a century ago and hosted the U.S. Open tournament from 1915 to 1920 and again from 1924 until it moved to Flushing Meadows Corona Park in 1978. Many artists have performed at the venue over the years, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, and many more.
The stadium, however, fell out of use in the 1990s. It underwent a completely revamp nearly five years ago and reopened in 2013. It has a capacity of nearly 14,000 seats.
Last summer, the stadium’s summer concert lineup included The Who, Joan Jett, Van Morrison, Santana and Alabama Shakes.
