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Still R.O.C.K.I.N. in the USA By Popcorn Avenger Sacramento Valley Amphitheatre- On August 3, 2001 John Mellencamp rolled into the Central Valley and proved that he still knows how to rock. After a slow start to the evening(an innocuous and forgettable opening act) Mellencamp thundered onto the stage with a rendition of The Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter” that would make Mick Jagger himself proud(actually next to Mick, Mellencamp’s 49 years of age looks pretty young). But true Mellencamp fans had no reason to fret as Mellencamp’s next number was the classic “Jack and Diane” that brought a packed audience of over 10,000 Mellenheads to their collective feet. While the audience completed the song in unison, Mellencamp maneuvered around the stage with all the vigor of a rocker half his age. The evening progressed with a mixture of classic Mellencamp (including “Pink Houses”, “The Authority Song”, and “Minutes to Memories”) as well as new songs, which I am sure will appear on Mellencamp’s Cuttin’ Heads CD. One song, entitled “Women Want”, was especially noticeable as Mellencamp sang alone on the stage only accompanied by his acoustic guitar and reminisced about the heartache and sadness that accompany many relationships. Mellencamp continued to deliver the goods for 85 minutes and in the end, he introduced his band and performed “Check It Out”. As I left, I heard many complaints about Mellencamp’s lack of an encore, but as encores have become commonplace in the concert world it was nice that he let us know when the show was ending, and he graciously thanked his audience of 10,000 before departing. Has Mellencamp lost anything with age and a heart attack? Very little. He does appear to play more for himself than the fans, and that is apparent by the noticeable absence of such favorites as “Hurt So Good” and “Scarecrow”. The advantage to playing what he wants is that he enjoys his concert as much as, if not more than, the audience. A Mellencamp concert is well worth the ticket price. |
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