Photo By Larry Marano © 2023
By Joanie Cox Henry
In 2023, there are few musical acts who can deliver more than four decades of hits and continue surprising audiences with fresh, relevant lyrics and licks that are just as meaningful as the day they first strapped their guitar on and sang their first note. John Mellencamp is the exception.
Mellencamp took the stage at Broward Center For The Performing Arts Feb. 21 with a smoking hot set of his tried and true Americana classics and a savory sprinkling of new material from his latest album, Strictly A One-Eyed Jack, which dropped in December of 2021.
The Indiana born and bred "Small Town" super star is still a fiery force to be reckoned with clad in a jumpsuit and puffing on a cigarette in between songs. It's not something you really see on stage on anymore, but for Mellencamp, it's impossible to picture him any other way than being his authentic self.
When John Mellencamp is on stage, he still has a solid message for working class heroes of all ages and he continues to be a bold beacon of hope for the legacy of American rock and roll itself. In many ways, Mellencamp evokes the last unfiltered glimpse of the American dream.
At 71, Mellencamp performs with a gritty, irresistible tenacity musicians half his age can't pull off. His show opened with a smattering of clips from his favorite classic films which included A Street Car Named Desire, On the Waterfront and Hud. Mannequins graced the stage including one fashioned after Marlon Brando. Creating an immersive show still seems essential to Mellencamp and he pulls it off in a way only John Mellencamp can. As a gifted painter with a penchant for German Expressionism of the early 20th century, several of his original paintings also graced the lobby of Broward Center and were available for purchase.
Mellencamp opened the show with the bluesy banger "John Cockers" and went on to perform a powerful set of "Paper In Fire," "Minutes To Memories," "Small Town," "Human Wheels," "Don't Need This Body," "We Are The People," "Jackie Brown" and "Check This Out."
He then shared a poignant song titled "Eyes of Portland" that he penned after an encounter with a barefoot homeless girl he tried to help while in Oregon. Mellencamp's acoustic rendition of the song illustrated the essence of America's growing homeless epidemic and how much the singer/songwriter would like to see the issue remedied.
An acoustic rendition of "Jack And Diane" prompted the crowd to leap to their feet in approval and the hits continued to flow from there with a riveting rendition of "Rain On The Scarecrow," "Lonely Ol' Night," "Crumbling Down," which became a mash-up into "Gloria," and "Pink Houses."
Mellencamp then led an auditorium-wide sing along with his latest tune "Chasing Rainbows," a song about what really matters in life and how sometimes we run after the wrong things. The seasoned rocker then closed the night with an encore of "Cherry Bomb" and "Hurts So Good."
John Mellencamp performed an almost identical setlist for a second show at Broward Center on Feb. 22. Mellencamp's "Live And In Person Tour" will continue throughout the United Stated through June 24, 2023. Don't miss the chance to see Mellencamp before he returns to his own "Small Town" in Indiana.
Check out legendary rock photographer Larry Marano's shots from the Feb. 21, 2023 show here.
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