While at last year’s Farm Aid in Raleigh North Carolina, John Mellencamp (who is also a Farm Aid board member) announced an enormous spring tour. The tour billed as “Plain Spoken” has the same name as his 20th studio album that was released last September as well. Fast forward 8 months later, this tour finally made its way to Buffalo, NY this past weekend.
Mellencamp seemed in good spirits and went all night between his yellow Fender guitar and singing acapella. His six (6) piece band includes longtime guitarist Mike Wanchic, who still holds down the fort as the primary six stringer. He has been with Mellencamp for over 35 years. Another band member who should be noted is violinist Miriam Sturm. She was a highlight with her on cue playing and backup vocals.
The show opened with “Lawless Times,” which is the last track on the Plain Spoken album. Mellencamp did a good job mixing up the fresh cuts with the traditional ones all night and kept the crowd interested throughout the show. The newer songs fit into his set perfectly. Mellencamp also played deeper cuts like “Minutes to Memories” from the critically acclaimed 1985 “Scarecrow” album.
During the popular “Jack and Diane,” the crowd was basically overriding his vocals singing along. He stopped after the first verse and said they started with the wrong verse and had a good laugh. He and Wanchic were alone on stage and finished the song. Mellencamp invited opener Carlene Carter (who also had a part in his Broadway play ‘Ghost Brothers of Darkland County’) to sing a few songs. She took the lead on “Away From This World” and Mellencamp joined her for “Tear This Cabin Down.”
Sturm and accordion player Andy York played an instrumental medley that included snippets of some Mellencamp classics like “ Just Another Day” and “I Need a Lover.” Mellencamp lost the suit coat and returned wearing a t-shirt with a blazer and started cranking out more hits. He got the people out of their seats to dance for “Rain on the Scarecrow” and “Crumblin’ Down.” He closed the set with the patriotic “Pink Houses.”
He returned for an encore and encouraged everyone that if they would dance, their troubles would go away. The video that accompanied this song 30 years ago triggered my memory of a couple dancing. The crowd followed suit and danced along.
I thought Mellencamp’s vocal range was awfully good. He especially nailed it on “Pink Houses” and “Crumblin Down.” The disappointment of the night was the intermittent static coming from the stage right speaker. It seemed like it was fixed after a few songs but then came and went throughout the rest for the set.
It’s unknown if the problem was from the house speakers or Mellencamp’s touring rig. Nevertheless, it was still a great show that encompassed Mellencamp’s entire career up to this point.
Setlist:
Lawless Times
Troubled Man
Minutes to Memories
Small Town
Stones in My Passway (Robert Johnson cover)
Human Wheels
The Isolation of Mister
Check It Out
Longest Days
Jack and Diane
The Full Catastrophe
Away From This World
Tear This Cabin Down
Violin and accordian medley including “Jerry,” “Just Another Day,” “I Need A Lover,” and others
Rain on the Scarecrow
Paper in Fire
If I Die Sudden
Crumblin’ Down
Authority Song / Land of 1000 Dances
Pink Houses
Encore:
Cherry Bomb
We would like to thank Kirsten Schubert from PMKBNC for the credentials to review the show.
