With a heart attack, three divorces, and a music career spanning four decades, John Mellencamp knows that, as he says in “Jack & Diane,” “Life goes on long after the thrill of living is gone.” He perhaps even knows that better today than he did in the early ’80s when he first wrote those legendary lyrics.
The beginning of his concert at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre on Monday night started slow; Mellencamp opted to start with a 25-minute film about his early life and creative process. While it was incredibly interesting and shone a light on the Indiana-born artist’s many talents, it could have been half as long without losing any punch.
When he picked up his guitar, “Lawless Times”—although catchy and well-written—brought out a cringe-worthy silence in the arena loud enough to hear a pin drop during the bars of rest that came before the chorus. “Minutes to Memories” received surprisingly mediocre cheers, despite Mellencamp finding his groove.
Just as I was thinking we were all in for a disappointing night from a father of American heartland rock, Mellencamp turned on his sassy side: he dropped a few humorous political anecdotes and told a heckler to go yell in the hall because some people want to hear music.
The evening found new energy after that. Mellencamp started in on the classics; he launched into favourable renditions of “Lonely ol’ Night,” “Small Town,” and an acoustic version of “Jack & Diane” that was well received, but still didn’t seem to quite bridge the gap between singer and audience. That said, he still caught the young American working-class spirit in his performance.
The show took a creative turn after an incredible violin solo and a particularly heartfelt version of “Easy Target,” a protest ballad centered around Mellencamp’s thoughts on America that he released on the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Both were passionate, eerie, and unexpected; he then switched gears again, turning back to his raspy heartland roots with “Paper in Fire,” and “Pink Houses.”
The highlight of the night came with “Hurts So Good”; by that point, everyone was on their feet, whistling and dancing in the aisle.
It was, by and large, a really solid night of classic rock. The sludgy start was hard to recover from, but storytelling and musical talent redeemed the show to make for a damn good foot-tapping evening of rock and roll.