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John Mellencamp in Concert
John Mellencamp has been bringing his brand of American heartland rock to fans since the late '70s, when his raw, rootsy sound set him apart from the arena rockers in vogue at the time. The Midwestern twang that adds to his signature vocal style also informs his songs, as he details the ups and downs of the everyday working folks he grew up among. The rough-and-ready roots-rock sound he perfected on milestone '80s albums like ‘American Fool’ and ‘Scarecrow’ has remained a crucial touchstone for Mellencamp's concerts, regardless of where he falls in the roots–rock spectrum at any given phase. And when he delivers classics like "Jack & Diane," "Pink Houses," "Small Town," or "Hurts So Good," he digs deep for a gritty, from-the-gut delivery that connects with his audiences in an immediate, visceral way. From his 2017 Sad Clowns and Hillbillies tour with guests Emmylou Harris and Carlene Carter to his 2018 Other People's Stuff tour, Mellencamp's latter-day outings have shown that the veteran road dog only gets tougher and more determined.
John Mellencamp Background
John Mellencamp was born in Indiana in 1951, and worked with a series of bands throughout his teens, but in the mid '70s he managed to hook up with David Bowie manager Tony DeFries, which led to his first record deal, under the name Johnny Cougar. He scored his first hit, the rocking "I Need a Lover," in 1979, but it was his 1982 album ‘American Fool’ that really broke him through to the big time. The massive hits "Jack & Diane" and "Hurts So Good" made him a bona fide rock star. On subsequent '80s albums like ‘Uh-huh’ and ‘Scarecrow,’ Mellencamp (finally working under his own surname) developed the sharp, sociopolitical side of his lyrical sensibilities. On songs like "Pink Houses," "Small Town," and "Scarecrow," he sang of and for the working people who are the heart and soul of America, and Mellencamp became an American icon in the process. But despite his Grammy award, his mega-Platinum record sales, and his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame membership, Mellencamp has never lost sight of the people who put him where he is, and they're still the focus of his music.
Prior to the actual performance, there was about 15-20 minutes of old movie clips. Not sure what that was suppose to represent but: 1). Too many clips and too long. People lost interest and became bored. 2). Extremely difficult to hear or understand the words to the movie clips. Concert was great but the “old movie clips” were just boring.
I will say that we were a little confused by the beginning of the show with the old movie scenes … a little bit of a “come on now play some music” attitude in the air… but once they came out they killed it. GREAT show, played a great set list… band is awesome!! John still has it!
I got vip passes mailed to me and they weren't anything. I never got to go back stage or meet or do anything.
Once in a lifetime experience. I drove 5 hours. Bought VIP. Worth every penny. Loved. Loved. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️. They put on a great show.
Very disappointed it was not what I expected to see or hear the music did not even sound the same. He’s been my favorite for years, but I’ll still listen to his music. Just don’t wanna see him in concert.
I love Rock and have been to plenty of live concerts. I expect loud at a rock concert. This was the least enjoyable of all. The sound engineer must not have checked the acoustics of the venue. The speakers were buzzing like a cheap stereo turned up too high and the music was distorted. The best part was when John sang without the full band. We had such high hopes but were very disappointed. I have heard from others after the fact, that the acoustics there are not good for Rock. Lesson learned.
This was our third opportunity to see John Mellencamp over the past 16 years and he never disappoints. He did a great job with plenty of his hits and added a couple of nice surprises. His voice is great and his band was superb as well. The rapport with the audience was great. Proud dad even brought his son Hud on stage for an introduction. Listening to Jack and Diane today and hearing James Dean mentioned in the song helped me better appreciate the classic movie clips at the beginning of the show, his son’s name, the Joanne Woodward narration and the homeless Portland girl story. Great review today in the Savannah Morning News. Hurry back John.
The bass was extremely loud. Too loud to even hear the vocals or guitars and violin.
My husband and I are from Indiana. We have been fans since John was in Seymour/Bloomington. We've seen him every time he's come to Savannah since we've moved here. He's fantastic!!
Good concert and I’m “older”. We saw it in sav. Didnt like the 20 minutes of old time movie clips before.
John put on a great show. Loved the Portland story and song. Way to go John for standing up for what’s right and vocalizing it!!
John Mellencamp doing great for his age and has an excellent band. His voice is still holding out well, sounds better on those original hit songs. Got to see the personal side of him and his sense of humor. Great stuff! The old movies shown before the start of concert were boring though, and didn't really see the connection, thought it was a waste of time. Not sure if they played them because the opening act didn't show up? The sound system was terrible with the loud base, sounded like the speakers were thumping past their limits, and took away from the quality of the overall music. I think they might have been part of the installed sound system, maybe not part of the bands equipment, not sure. The crowd was mostly all seniors, not screaming kids anymore, but most all stood up with great enthusiasm and sang along with the popular songs. Tee shirt choices were lame and expensive, $40 each. Beer, $14 a cup. Bit of a turn-off!
It was John Melloncamp, that's all I need to say. Great show!!!
Great performance, loved this show! Wish it had lasted longer, hope to see him again! Have been a fan for years, disappointed alcohol not sold after starting of show.
As John explained in many interviews this isn’t your typical rock show… It has a little sprinkle of a performance piece in it. The 25 minutes or so of vintage movies really give a peek inside some of John’s songs, lyrics and tone. Of course, once the music kicks in he in the band keep you rocking all night, with a little break for some slow acoustic pieces and a great “poetry reading “ Set to his music. I loved it all !
Really enjoyed this show. John played some new tunes and many of his classics. His band was excellent, too, contributing to a stellar show. Overall entertaining performance and glad to see him in a small venue, up close and personal.
If you have loved Mellencamp since he was John Cougar and you have all his stuff, you’ll love his show. If all you know him by is the hits, save your money and stay home. The show started with 20 minutes of clips from old movies. It was weird. That notwithstanding, the hits were great. The deep cuts were dark, protest songs. No thanks. It didn’t ’hurt so good’. Some of it just hurt.
John Mellencamp was very personal and entertaining at The Township in Columbia SC last weekend. I have seen JCM many times going all the way back to him being an opening act for Heart. The set list was great and his band sounds amazing. The only disappointment was that the had the venue stop serving alcohol at 8 and he does not come until 8:25?!
Love the man, the band, their performance...they are true masters of music artistry! John has always been my number one & still is & fiddle player Lisa is pretty remarkable herself!!! Thank you John & band!!! LOVE ❤️ you & your beautiful music!!!
I throughly enjoyed John Mellencamp and his musicians. I liked everything about the show except the 20 minutes of black and white movies that were shown. I would rather have had 20 minutes more of him singing. Great show!
