By no means was I born in a small town. I’ve grown up in the comfort of the suburbs my whole life, with rare national media depictions and Texas horse grazing acting as my only proper foundations to understand the rural farm boy life. Thus, nothing stood out when I first glanced over the weekend’s local concert lineup. However, I talked to my teenage friend Marco – my plus-one for most of these concerts – and he was genuinely excited about John Mellencamp. I knew the popular songs that survived to modern-day audiences, but could I genuinely be expected to enjoy a two-hour concert of a guy I barely knew? Marco put fire emojis next to Mellencamp’s name, so I knew he wanted to go. I ended up having one of the most uniquely memorable concert experiences since I started reviewing them.
He opened the show not with music, but movies. Showing clips of 50s classics such as A Streetcar Named Desire and Rebel Without a Cause, he was setting the audience up for a retro rewind in every sense of the word. Around 8:25, the crowd got a little grumpy and demanded Mellencamp (keep in mind it was already past bedtime for the majority of his fanbase). Right as this happened, the screen was lifted – and there was Mellencamp and his band, playing “John Cockers.” I enjoyed the rugged, mature, lone wolf energy of this track. This aura would continue throughout the performance with songs such as “Minutes to Memories,” “Don’t Need This Body,” “Jackie Brown,” and “I Always Lie to Strangers.” He didn’t sing like a 71-year-old, but he sang as if he lived 71 years of life.
Mellencamp, set to release his 26th (!) studio album this year, performed a new song called “The Eyes of Portland.” He first spoke, apolitically, about his firsthand experience with a homeless Portlandian who, after receiving money from Mellencamp, exclaimed “I don’t need to have sex tonight!” He dedicated the song to her, and drew attention to the government’s historical ignorance regarding the issue. Similar people’s patriotism themes can be found in records like “Human Wheels” and, of course, “Pink Houses.”
It may have been an older crowd, but we were standing for a good portion of the show. He performed his hits “Small Town,” “Cherry Bomb,” and “Hurts So Good,” and the momentum from those tracks simply carried to the lesser-known songs. The only time I knew I could take a break is when Mellencamp introduced 93-year-old actress Joanne Woodward’s voice to recite his song “The Real Life” as poetry, which I found pretty cool. I was a little disappointed that “Jack & Diane” was played off a solo acoustic riff, but I still enjoyed it. The crowd jumped the chorus too quick, and Mellencamp had a good laugh off that. As a musical performer, it’s become almost necessary to keep your audience engaged with jokes, stories, and just anything that keeps you human. I think that’s what I liked most about this concert – and I should’ve expected a small town, roots rock artist to embody this – he felt human. I could be friends with Mellencamp, or at least grab a drink with him (in a couple years). I believe his authenticity, and of course his talent, will ensure his name and legacy remain in the dad rock conversation for decades to come.
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Son, you know that 8:25 is NOT my usual bedtime. Now 9:25….