John Mellencamp played all the hits at Morton on Monday

3 hours ago

Nick Spacek,

John Mellencamp. // photo by Nick Spacek

John Mellencamp
Morton Amphitheater
Monday, July 13

American rock ‘n’ roll icon John Mellencamp is not one to mince words, and it oughtn’t be surprising. He’s one of the founding members of Farm Aid, is resolutely pro-union, and when he came out to the stage at Morton on Monday night, he set the tone immediately by kicking off the two-set performance with “Lawless Times.” That’s a song which includes the lyrics “Can’t trust the police” and “Don’t look too close at the government / Hard tellin’ what you’ll find,” and the rocker clearly was anti-ICE.

The sing-along response, despite exhortations from the stage, was muted but polite. As the show went on, it would become more enthusiastic, beginning with the first set’s second song, “Small Town,” and by the time Mellencamp stood on stage alone with a guitar for “Jack & Diane” to end the first set, the crowd was singing so loud, you could hear it clear to the front gates.

John Mellencamp. // photo by Nick Spacek

Mellencamp’s Dancing Words — The Greatest Hits Tour marks the first time he’s performed some of these songs in decades, with many of them never performed on the same show. The musician has long avoided any semblance of playing the hits, making this jaunt something of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for even the most casual of fans. If there’s a Mellencamp song you know, you heard it Monday night.

Thanks to a crack band with keys, horns, fiddle, accordion, and backup singers, the tracks sounded robust and bigger-than-life, with Mellencamp’s voice perhaps a bit huskier and lived-in, but the show was no worse for it. Granted, some songs were slowed down just a tad to accommodate age and vocal range, but it suited the muggy, warm night.

Props to Mellencamp for switching things up, alternating between some of his earliest hits and his ’90s resurgence for most of the show before finishing with a powerhouse run of songs, with three of the last five coming from the absolutely massive triple-platinum 1983 recording, Uh-huh, including the show’s finale of “Hurts So Good.”

And holy shit, was it loud. Bring earplugs if you’re going to Morton, because while the sound engineering is fantastic, that roof traps the sound in a way places like Starlight and Azura doesn’t, meaning you’re going to develop tinnitus if you’re not careful. I can’t think of the last time I had to wear earplugs at an outdoor shed show, but I’m thankful I always have a pair on me, just in case.

All photos by Nick Spacek

John Mellencamp setlist
Set 1:
Lawless Times
Small Town
Minutes to Memories
Lonely Ol’ Night
Paper in Fire
Human Wheels
Walk Tall
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to 60’s Rock)
Love and Happiness
Our Country
Check It Out
Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First) (Acoustic)
Jack & Diane (Solo)

Set 2:
I Need a Lover
Thank You
Your Life Is Now
Wild Night (Van Morrison cover)
Ain’t Even Done with the Night
Pop Singer
Rain on the Scarecrow
What If I Came Knocking
Authority Song (with snippet of Land of 1000 Dances)
Crumblin’ Down
Pink Houses
Cherry Bomb
Hurts So Good