| Concert Review of John Mellencamp at Charter One Pav. @ Northerly Isl. on Tue Jul 22, 2008 |
| Event Date |
| Tue Jul 22, 2008 |
| Source |
| Chicago Tribune |
| Concert Review Preview |
| No small-town sound Mellencamp ramps it up along the lake By Andy Downing | Special to the Chicago Tribune July 24, 2008 John Mellencamp, performing in front of a sold-out crowd Tuesday at Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island, had to have seen the irony in singing about small-town America against the skyline of one of its biggest cities. The singer, touring in support of the recently released "Life, Death, Love and Freedom," wisely beefed up the album's folksy arrangements so that the songs could stand toe-to-toe with stadium-ready anthems like "Pink Houses." "If I Die Sudden," a loping waltz on record, was reimagined here as a three-guitar flare-up, Mellencamp defiantly staring down his final days as he sang, "I'm not afraid of dying" like a man who has no fear of a pine box. "Paper in Fire," given a Celtic flair by the frontman's six-piece backing band, was driven by the fiery violin-playing of Miriam Sturm. "Jena," inspired by the racial tensions surrounding the Jena Six trial in Louisiana, played as a flip-side to "Small Town" (performed here in solo acoustic form), revealing the sometimes ugly side of remote locales. Mellencamp never resorted to preaching. Instead, the singer told homespun stories about performing in seedy bars as a teenager, belted out a few bars from "My Girl" and offered that "when all else fails . . . dance." The audience took the singer's advice as he worked in old favorites like "Jack and Diane," "R.O.C.K. in the USA" and "Crumblin' Down.". |
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