Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers have just announced 20 spring dates. The band, who will be taking a break from their current recording sessions, will kick off the tour on May 16th at Evansville, Indiana's Ford Center with the last date on the schedule now set for June 19th at Minneapolis' Target Center. The six-week trek includes multi-show residencies at New York City's Beacon Theatre and L.A.'s Fonda Theatre. Festival stops include headline appearances at Tennessee's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Alabama's Hangout Music Festival, and Delaware's and Firefly Music Festival.

Last year marked bassist Ron Blair's 10th anniversary back in the Heartbreakers, following a 20 year hiatus. In a rare trading places moment, Blair actually replaced his replacement -- the late Howie Epstein -- who was then struggling with a crippling heroin addiction, which eventually led to his death in 2003 at age 47. Petty recalled Blair rejoining the band: "When we were inducted into the Hall Of Fame, they got the old band back together for that show. Ron played with us, and it, it was so kind of effortlessly smooth that we thought, 'Right. We'll just have Ron,' and he was up for it. It's really inspired us a great deal since he's come back. I mean, life is much simpler and really nice with having him in the band, and having someone taking that job really seriously."

• UPDATED: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers tour dates (subject to change):
  May 16 - Evansville, IN - Ford Center
  May 17, 1819 - Gulf Shores, AL - Hangout Music Festival (Show Date TBA)
  May 20, 21, 23, 25, 26 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
  June 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda
  June 15 - Noblesville, IN - Klipsch Music Center
  June 16 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival at Bonnaroo Music Festival Grounds
  June 18 - London, ON - Budweiser Gardens
  June 20 - Pittsburgh, PA - Consol Energy Center
  June 21-23 - Dover, DE - Firefly Music Festival (Show Date TBA)
  June 23 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
  June 28 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest at Marcus Amphitheater
  June 29 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center

SIDE NOTES

• Members of the "Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Highway Companions Club" will have special opportunities to purchase tickets to concerts on the upcoming tour. Club members will have access to exclusive ticket lotteries for the New York and Los Angeles shows and exclusive presales for the shows in other cities.
• Premium Ticket Packages, which include premium seating and exclusive band merchandise, will also be available for all upcoming Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers concerts. For more information about Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Premium Ticket Packages please visit TomPetty.com.

DID YOU KNOW???

• In 2010 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers scored their highest charting album in 30 years, with their last album, Mojo.
• The album debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart at Number Two -- matching the band's 1979 Damn The Torpedo's album which also peaked at Number Two in 1980.

CHECK IT OUT: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers on June 18th, 2012 performing "Refugee" live at London's Royal Albert Hall:

Tom Petty Talks About Having Original Bassist Ron Blair Back In The Heartbreakers

Read more at Ultimate Classic Rock and Billboard

Rolling Stone asks what is Tom Petty's greatest album?