The Last DJ was Petty and the Heartbreaker’s comeback album. He was excited to get back to doing what he loved the most. The album was released during a time of controversy and changes in the musical world. Petty felt it only right to speak his opinion on these matters through his music. 2002 was an era in which music and celebrities were changing and he believed it wasn’t for the better. 911 had just happened and Petty believed everyone’s outlook on everything had changed. The media began to focus more on who wore what, rather than pure beauty of music itself. Petty was looking back on better times where the media didn’t control everything. The album was critiqued for not being like his original work but Petty maintained his opinion on the matters and felt great about it. Other than it being a different kind of album, many FM radio stations banned a few of the songs from being played on air because of the strong message that it gave. Despite Petty wanting to voice his opinion, he enjoyed that it did have such a strong message. Radio stations were proving his exact point that the media controlled everything. While Howie Epstein was absent on and off from the band because of his addiction, Ron Blair was later brought in to record some of the tracks on the album. 2002 was important to Petty and the Heartbreakers because big changes were on the rise.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Petty made a big effort to include Howie Epstein and Ron Blair in both because they both partook even though Epstein was no longer working with them closely. During their performance at the induction, Petty, fellow Heartbreakers, and even friends began to notice that Epstein was really in bad shape. They were saddened and after the induction invited him to celebrate with them. Epstein came granting Petty’s wishes and they all had a wonderful time. As the night wrapped up and Epstein began to leave, Petty somehow knew that he would probably not see him ever again. He waved goodbye to his former band and friends, seeing them for the last time before his death in ’03. The death of Epstein was expected by Petty but nevertheless hard on all of them because they had developed a strong bond among each other.
Petty had made it a goal for him and the Heartbreakers to really be a band. He believed that just making the music without a bond wouldn’t keep them afloat. Petty knew that the only way to keep that bond was to ask Ron Blair to come back. He had previously quit because their life style as the young and new Heartbreakers was too rough on his well-being. After helping record for The Last DJ, Blair knew that he wanted to come back as well. Petty believes that without Ron Blair coming back, the Heartbreakers wouldn’t have made it. It worked out perfectly because Blair was part of the original Heartbreakers, he and Petty were both happy. Petty really felt as though some things had fallen into place perfectly. Although, Blair had only recorded on two of the tracks for The Last DJ, he was just happy to be back. A few months later, they kicked off the tour in the summer with Ron Blair back and they felt better than ever.
4 years later, Petty reconnected with Jeff Lynne to make his third solo album, Highway Companion. In the summer of ’06 the album was released after being made within a few months and was number 4 on the Billboard top charts. He worked more towards making it a solo based album rather than having a lot of help from fellow Heartbreakers or even Lynne. Petty was pleased with the feel of the album because it was so personal. He gave it a simple, acoustic based tone, which spoke for how he felt towards music at the time. The solo album wasn’t as popular as his first or second and only went gold. However, he wasn’t as focused on the commercial aspect of the album but rather what he would leave behind. He wasn’t worried about if the album made the charts or not. He just wanted to ensure that people would remember his artistic legacy through his albums.