THE LAST WORD: Tom Petty & the...

THE LAST WORD: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers previewed some exciting new songs at the invitation-only opening of Johnny Depp’s new Viper Room last weekend in West Hollywood. Among those on hand at the Sunset Strip club (formerly the Central) to catch the group’s first public appearance in two years were Depp’s “Benny & Joon” co-star Mary Stuart Masterson, Dennis Hopper and director Tim Burton. The group is expected to tour again next year.

But the rest of the world will have to wait to hear the songs on record. The largely blues-based numbers won’t be among the two new songs featured on the “Greatest Hits” album in November from MCA, the Rick Rubin-co-produced Petty solo album due from Warner Bros. Records next year or an MCA box set that’s still in the long-range planning stage. That package will likely include an entire CD of previously unreleased material that has turned up in the vaults.