Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member John Mellencamp made a Detroit stop on his 76 date “Live and In
Person" 2023 US tour playing the historic Masonic Temple on June
17.
John decided to play smaller theaters on this tour in
lieu of large festival or arena crowds and the drunken
environment that often goes along with shows of that size. Signs
posted in the lobby stated that “This show respects theater
etiquette".
Next to John's merchandise booth with its shirts, hats,
records and buttons, there was a display of John's
artwork. John is a true artist not only in with his music, but also with
his paint brush.
Before the live show began there was a screen on stage
showing snippets from some of John’s favorite classic films including
scenes from "The Fugitive Kind", "The Misfits”, "Giant", "Paper
Moon", "Grapes of
Wrath", "Hud", "On the
Waterfront" and "A Streetcar Named Desire". This
lasted for 30 minutes and had John talking about the films and stars including
Marlon Brando and James Dean and the impact that they left on him and his
songs. The film montage didn't go over with some in the crowd and there was
actual booing. I imagine these might be some of the same people who wish he
would just bring back the John Cougar moniker. Evolution is important people!
John and his band took to a stage that was decked out with a
large "A Street Car Named Desire" backdrop and a cast of characters
from the film were scattered about in mannequin form. John wore a mechanic’s jumpsuit during the set and his cigarettes were ever-present.
The first song of the evening was “John Cockers” of
John's 2008 album 'Life, Death, Love and Freedom'. John played a solid 2
hour set digging deep into a 40+ year catalog that included huge hits like
"Small Town", "Rain on the Scarecrow" and "Pink
Houses".
He introduced the band and acknowledged longtime members and their contributions. His band included violinist Lisa Germano (who returns after 29 years), guitarist Mike Wanchic (who has been with John for 50 years), guitarist Andy York, keyboardist/accordion player Troye Kinnett, drummer Dane Clark and long time bassist John Gunnell.
There was a solo acoustic segment during the set which
included John stopping "Jack and Diane" to give the crowd a
lesson in musical composition when the crowd sing-along had them
skipping the second verse and going straight into the chorus. He stopped, in
his words, the "35 fucking year old song" to school the audience and
continued the second verse because he thinks its "Funny".
John's humor is very down to Earth and his interaction with
the audience is very intimate and personal. John also has no problem
speaking his mind and demanding respect. At one point during the set, John was
interrupted by a loud spectator and had the man ejected from the theater
and told his handler to give him his money back. Theater etiquette rules
were surely in effect.
John was quite talkative and shared some stories before some
songs including his new single “The Eyes of Portland” in which he talks
about an encounter with a young homeless woman he encountered outside a
restaurant on a trip to the Pacific Northwest. The writing of the
song was a way for him to honor the young woman he
attempted to assist.
He also talked about the elders in his family that inspired
his song "Longest Days" including his Father who recently turned 93
and his Grandmother who lived to be 100. John said (in third person) "I have a feeling that John's not going to make it" mainly because of his smoking. John's Grandmother would call him "Buddy"
and told him "If you don’t stop this cussin' you're not going to get to Heaven".
In the most heartfelt moment of the evening, John shared a
story about his friend actress Joanne Woodward who has been not been able
to speak for the last ten years. Shortly before she fell ill, she
recorded spoken-word readings of John's lyrics. He had the original tapes of
her readings and decided to do a musical accompaniment to them. So for
the performance of Joanne Woodward reading “The Real Life"
John walked off stage and let the accordion and violin duo of Lisa
Germano and Troye Kinnett take charge with the instrumentals.
John Mellencamp is a Rock and Roll legend. His music has
stood the test of time for over four decades and the songs sound just as
fresh as they did on their on their respective debut albums. John is a true
artist, a songwriter and performer.
John closed out his set with a finale of "Hurts So
Good". The packed house sing-along is most likely still echoing within
the walls of the Masonic Temple.
John Mellencamp Set List:
John Cockers, Paper in Fire, Minutes to Memories, Small
Town, Human Wheels, Jackie Brown, Check It Out, The Eyes of Portland
(Acoustic), Longest Days (Acoustic), Jack & Diane (Acoustic), The Real Life
(Joanne Woodward spoken word), Rain on the Scarecrow, Lonely Ol' Night, What If
I Came Knocking, Crumblin' Down / Gloria, Pink Houses, Cherry Bomb, Hurts So
Good
And let's not forget about the fans! These dedicated individuals came out in droves to enjoy John and his music and were out showing the love.
**Recap & Photos by Casey Schwochow**
