John Mellencamp 3/30/06 @ Roberts Stadium

Mellencamp brings sell-out crowd crumblin' down

March 31, 2006

Everyone was born in a small town. All the Jacks and Dianes danced naked during the wild night. And John Mellencamp, Indiana's patron saint of music, made Roberts Stadium hurt so, so good.

During the Evansville kick-off of his Words & Music tour, native Hoosier Mellencamp brought forth a celebration of Americana and power ballads. The nonstop, decades-wandering set proved the former Cougar still has his pounce.

It immediately became clear why, after 35 years, Mellencamp deserves to draw a sold-out crowd. He spits on stage. He curses reporters who ask him about his graying hair. (Guilty as charged, sir.) He takes off his button-down and rolls up the sleeves to his white T-shirt. At 54, Mellencamp is still The Man.

After a nod to "Scarecrow," he opened with new material, "This Is Our Country." The anthem powered forward, throbbing with patriotism. With lyrics heralding from coast to coast, the new ballad - if released on the anticipated Universal album - will be the infectious patriotic hit absent from Top 40 radio. Mellencamp, a self-described liberal who campaigned for President Bush's defeat, injected his politics into the show, but the 7,327-person audience was willing to forego "boos" in favor of more chart-defining hits.

His anti-war screed "Love & Happiness" remains relevant, much like the rest of his work. His Farm Aid material again seems foretelling, as farmers face another generation of challenges. And "Fight Authority" is still about more than frustrating parents.

Still, the favorites such as "Jack and Diane" and "R.O.C.K. In the U.S.A. (A Salute To 60's Rock)" brought the crowd, deservedly, to its feet.

Laments that contemporary country has languished to the point of bland would do well to listen to Little Big Town, which opened for the native son. As country artists seemingly aspire to crossover success, Little Big Town inspires new faith in Nashville, Tenn. With intricate harmonies and multiple melodies unfolding at once, much of the act's battery is better than most college counterpoint exercises.

The seven-musician ensemble brazenly blended good ol' fashion country with pop and even Baroque-style vocals during its finale, "Boondocks." The result: aural bliss.
From the fragile, percussion-free plea "Stay" to the "Hell hath no fury like a woman with a microphone" warning "Looking for a Reason," the set pulsed with emotion. They say they keep their hearts and souls in the boondocks, but the musicians don't do much to hide their talents there.

Courier Press Review