From Heartbreaker to Heartfelt

Where do you begin describing the ineffable legacy that is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers? In this case, Mike Campbell is the key.

Campbell, the celebrated Heartbreakers guitarist and songwriter, returns to Santa Barbara with the Dirty Knobs on December 3 for a semi-acoustic evening at the Arlington Theatre. The show blends storytelling with intimate performance, taking fans back to the 1970s — when his legendary musical journey began.

Campbell’s New York Times best-selling memoir, Heartbreaker, inspired this one-of-a-kind tour that mimics the vulnerability found in the book— all from song creation and arguments to the blood, sweat, pain, and love that seeped throughout life on the road. 

“I had no interest in writing a salacious, predictable rock-and-roll book,” Campbell said. “I wanted to be open about relationships within the band, and the spirituality of our creative writing process.”

That candidness carries over to his current work with The Dirty Knobs. While the band, formed in the 2000s, is known for its feverish stage presence, Campbell said he never imagined performing so intimately.

This isn’t their first time in Santa Barbara — from SOhO to the Bowl, they’ve played here before — but this show promises something different: a journey through the past with reverence.

“I wouldn’t have thought to perform like this, I don’t typically like going back and playing the old catalog, because it’s too nostalgic,” Campbell explained. 

But with the encouragement of his longtime bandmates, he’s confidently revisiting the songs and stories fans long to hear.

“The audience should expect something they usually don’t get from me and The Dirty Knobs,” Campbell said. “I am very proud of my legacy, [and] this is how I want to honor it.”

We can thank Campbell for Heartbreaker’s classics like “Here Comes My Girl,” “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” and “You Got Lucky.” But he also released the Dirty Knobs album Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits last year, featuring the powerful track “Dare to Dream,” a song Campbell described as quite memorable.

“I felt almost embarrassed to be singing such a positive, optimistic song in the world we’ve been living in,” Campbell said. “But we all need a little hope and not so much doom and gloom. The world’s a little scary right now, but we’ll get through it.”

Stepping into the spotlight as the frontman was a new challenge for Campbell, who spent decades as a guitarist. But now that The Dirty Knobs are fully established, the freedom to explore a wide range of songs and styles is limitless.

“I’m living the dream I’ve always wanted,” he said. 

We’ve all seen the movies and read the stories of rock bands living the wild life — young, high, immersed in the music, relishing in newfound fame. But Campbell’s book isn’t about that, and it’s far from the fantasy most people imagine.

“The book illustrates the blood and sweat we put into making music, the fights we had to get through to make a record,” Campbell said.

At 75, after an incredible career that began with the Heartbreakers in 1976 and included joining Fleetwood Mac for their 2018 world tour, what keeps him inspired? Why does he still perform?

“There’s a mysterious magic that happens with the songwriting, I don’t know where it comes from or why,” he said. “Other writers say they have issues with writer’s block, I have the opposite — I can’t stop the flow. I have more ideas than I have room for.”

The inspiration comes from life, from love, he explained. “Sometimes you’re just sitting there, a thought comes to you and you chase it. That’s the real thrill, the love of creating music keeps me going.”

Looking ahead, Campbell says new music is coming in the spring — work that honors his heroes with richer melodies and denser arrangements. 

But for now, this tour serves as an homage, and he hopes audiences leave remembering a long-lost Heartbreakers song, reigniting the love that first drew them in.

“The acoustic show is going to be a real experience, a spiritual journey of rock-and-roll soul healing,” Campbell said. “What I want [is for] the audience to arrive at some sort of bliss or nirvana in the music, sharing a moment with others in the room who are all having the same experience. That’s what it’s all about. That’s why I keep playing live.”

After all these years, that’s the magic of music — the thing that bleeds through your soul that you can’t shake. The legacy of the Heartbreakers, and the continuation through The Dirty Knobs and Campbell himself.

The Arlington performance December 3 at 7:30 p.m. features longtime Heartbreakers drummer Steve Ferrone, bassist Lance Morrison (Don Henley), and guitarist Chris Holt (Eagles). Audiences will be guided through Campbell’s nearly five-decade career, from the early days of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers to his latest work with the Dirty Knobs, including the album Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits. 

Tickets are available now via artist presale and general on-sale.