Back In Time: Tom Petty and Axl Rose performing “Free Fallin'” on VMA

Back in 1989 at the MTV Video Music Awards Tom Petty and Axl Rose performed Petty’s huge success “Free Fallin’”.

After the success of Full Moon Fever Petty was undeniably one of the hottest musical acts on the planet. So were Guns N’ Roses, whose Appetite for Destruction had made a huge impact a few years before.

Take a look:

It was a mega-surprise then when at the end of the night Axl Rose joined Petty and the Heartbreakers for “Free Fallin'” before Petty and Rose closed out the night with a legendary rendition of “Heartbreak Hotel.”

The album

Full Moon Fever was the debut solo studio album by Tom Petty, released on April 24, 1989 by MCA Records. It features contributions from members of his band the Heartbreakers, notably Mike Campbell, along with Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison (who died prior to its release), and George Harrison of the Traveling Wilburys.

The record shows Petty exploring his musical roots with nods to his influences. The songwriting is mainly collaborations between Petty and Lynne, who was also a producer on the album. The album became a commercial and critical success peaking at No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and being certified 5× platinum in the United States and 6× platinum in Canada.

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