03.15.2019 - John Mellencamp is a rebel without a cause but not the spitfire refractory type who raises a painting palette with a clenched fist against the art establishment. He’s not a rebel who proclaims a cerebral doctrine, decrees an oppressive ideology or a proponent of some altisonant theory or authoritarian manifesto.
His rebellion is embodied in the physical phenomena, in the palpable materiality of his art. He does not pay any deferential tribute to any arching esthetic dictamina. He propounds in a serenely quiet and countervailing way that art need not subscribe to any one restrictive philosophy but can embrace expansively myriad paths and approaches to self-discovery and the realization of self-expression. Read David L. Shirey's perception of John Mellencamp after the jump. Read More
03.14.2019 - Not many concerts come with a kind of spoken-word user’s manual, but John
Mellencamp’s show Tuesday night at Stifel Theatre did. “Here’s the way this is gonna go down tonight,” he said a few songs into his 100-minute performance. “We’re gonna do some songs you know, some songs you don’t know, some songs you can sing along with and some songs you can dance to.”
He noted there would also be some quieter moments and said, “If you’re one of
those (expletives) that need to scream during the quiet section, can you please
go out in the hallway and do that?” That’s the kind of announcement nearly every concert could use. Read More
03.11.2019 - WhyHunger — a leader in the movement to end hunger and advance the human
right to nutritious food in the U.S. and around the world—will present
singer-songwriter John Mellencamp with the ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award
during the 20th annual WhyHunger Chapin Awards on June 5, 2019 at
City Winery in New
York. Space is very limited, so purchase your tickets and tables today! Have questions? Contact events@whyhunger.org. Read More
02.26.2019 - There was no opening act on this tour, and this marked his second out of three consecutive shows at New York's Beacon Theatre.
The concert began with a video presentation about Mellencamp's journey and how he came from humble beginnings in Indiana. This clip underscored that his motivations derive from his ability to create, whether it is on canvas as a painter, or with his music. Read More
02.26.2019 - During a quiet moment in the middle of his set at the Beacon Theatre on February 25th, John Mellencamp recounted the tale of visiting his grandmother, who was bedridden and nearing the end of her life. After making a “smart-alecky” comment about “more sinning” that he had to do on this earth, the two looked at each other. Mellencamp recalled that her visage suddenly appeared much younger, and she remarked that “life is short, even in its longest days.” Read Glide Magazines complete Beacon Theatre review after the jump. Read More
02.26.2019 - As John Mellencamp’s concert tour continues to roll across the country, the rocker has been making it clear where he stands on “take a knee” protests.
During Monday night’s show, the first of three at New York City’s Beacon Theater, Mellencamp knelt onstage at the completion of his song, “Easy Target,” which offers the singer’s views on society’s treatment of minorities and the poor.
“Well, let the poor be damned, and the easy targets too,” Mellencamp sang. “All are created equal, equally beneath me and you.” Read More
02.22.2019 - One cue that this wouldn’t be the typical concert was its billing as “The John Mellencamp Show” and the note that it would start promptly at 8 p.m.
The lights at the Providence Performing Arts Center dimmed at exactly that hour Friday night for a 15-minute biographical film about the 67-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer featuring clips of interviews, American Bandstand and MTV appearances and his disembodied voice talking about an industry that made him change his name, tried to direct his music and contributed to his heart attack at the age of 42.
The film stoked the audience for the arrival of Mellencamp and his six-piece band. Read the complete Providence show review after the jump. Read More
02.18.2019 - On February 15, 2019, John Mellencamp and his bandmates brought their storytelling show of rock, folk, and blues to Peoria, Illinois. The largest city on the Illinois River, with a population of approximately 120,000, Peoria dwarfs the “small town” of Mellencamp’s origin – Seymour, Indiana – but it shares with Seymour the qualification of “where they are not,” as in the advice Mellencamp recalls Pete Seeger giving him for creative longevity, “Go where they are not.” Read David Masciotra's complete Peoria, IL show review after the jump. Read More
02.10.2019 - On Thursday, John Mellencamp took the stage in South Bend to promote the
release of his 24th studio album, “Other People’s Stuff.” Mellencamp has been
writing and performing his own songs for over 40 years, since his first
professional album in 1976. The setlist was well-organized with a few songs to introduce the tone of the show, a nostalgic section, a part for rumination on life and the passage of
time, some political commentary, an anti-authority segment and feel-good
closers. Read the complete Morris Performing Arts Center review after the jump. Read More
02.10.2019 - There is something almost weirdly dispiriting about hearing a theater full of people decades past high school sing along to a chorus of a song that goes “Life goes on long after the thrill of living is gone.”
Yet John Mellencamp led that chorus from his biggest hit from 37 years ago, “Jack & Diane,” Friday night at the Riverside Theater to a nearly packed house. It’s to his credit that Mellencamp has become a legacy rocker who doesn’t so much romanticize his and his listeners’ lives as reflect them without much in the way of aspiration—and that his music retains enough resonance among enough of an audience so long after being an MTV mainstay to fill the Riverside. Read More
02.09.2019 - Read Piet Levy's complete Riverside Theater show review including the set list after the jump. Here are some excerpts: "Yes, these were largely older songs, but Mellencamp didn't play 'em like they were. He performed everything with vigor and meaning. He played 'em like they still mattered...
"To tweak a line from "Jack and Diane," it was clear to see Friday that for Mellencamp, the thrill of living isn't gone — not when there are still injustices in the world, and important songs left to make..." Read More
12.20.2018 - John Mellencamp lands a No. 1 album on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart for the
first time in his career, as his new album, Other People’s Stuff, rules
the ranking dated Dec. 22.
The set debuts atop the tally with 44,000 equivalent album units earned in
the week ending Dec. 13, according to Nielsen Music. Nearly all of its sum came
via traditional album sales.
Mellencamp had previously snagged five top fives on Top Rock Albums, which
began in 2006 (many years after Mellencamp first reached the all-genre Billboard
200 chart back in 1979). Before Stuff, with three -- 2007’s Freedom Road,
2008’s Life Death Love and Freedom and most recently, 2017’s Sad Clowns &
Hillbillies reaching No. 3.
The album also represents Mellencamp’s 11th top 10 on the Billboard 200, his
first since 2010’s Nothing Better Than This and best-charting album
since Freedom 10 years prior.
Stuff features covers in its tracklist, including songs by Robert Johnson,
Jimmie Rodgers and more. Read More
On the album Mellencamp noted: “Most, if not all, of the songs on Other People’s Stuff come from The Great American Songbook. These are songs that have been recorded over the last 40 years of my career, but had never been put together as one piece of work. Now, they have.”
Read the complete press release after the jump. Read More
12.04.2018 - A true storyteller who continually contributes new insights to the Americana zeitgeist, John Mellencamp is poised to deliver a brand-new anthology, the wonderfully-titled Other People’s Stuff, Friday, December 7, 2018, via Republic Records.
Despite the nature of the anthology, Other People’s Stuff is cohesive; these are songs that fit one another perfectly, all individual pieces of the great American songbook belonging to Mr. Mellencamp. The brilliance here is in how well each track fits the others and in how flawlessly Other People’s Stuff fits into the recent Mellencamp oeuvre. Read the complete review after the jump Read More
12.04.2018 - Read Lee Zimmerman's complete Other People's Stuff review after the jump. Here is an excerpt: Clearly Mellencamp is working in a realm in which he seems well suited. Hearing him strut and swagger through opening track “To the River” offers all the evidence needed that he still has the drive and determination to convincingly make other people’s stuff feel like his own... Read More
11.14.2018 - Over the last three decades, John Mellencamp has covered a variety of musical
styles, songs and rhythms under the umbrella of heartland rock. On his newest
offering, Mellencamp digs deep into the archives of his musical experience. An
homage to some of the greatest songwriting feats in history, Other People’s
Stuff is emblematic of John Mellencamp’s storytelling ability and his
time-tested musicality. Read the complete review of Other People's Stuff after the jump. Read More
11.06.2018 - Today, John Mellencamp releases the visual for his politically driven song “Eyes On The Prize” off his forthcoming album Other People's Stuff currently available for pre order HERE! The video accompanying the song comes in time for the midterm elections. Protest songs can still make a difference. Watch “Eyes On The Prize” below.
09.12.2018 - We are offering VIP Ticket Packages on The John Mellencamp - Be The First To Come and Last To Leave Tour.
Packages will go on sale via a pre-sale for Mellencamp.com members before going on sale to the general public. The package pre-sale will be at the same time as the Mellencamp.com Pre-Sale through the TOUR page. Limit of 6 per order. Quantities are very limited so act quickly!
THE FRONT ROW VIP PACKAGE
Limit of 6 packages/tickets per order. Each package includes:
One Incredible Top Price Reserved Ticket in the Front Row *
Plus Essential John Mellencamp VIP Merchandise:
One Exclusive John Mellencamp VIP Gift (Created Exclusively for VIP Package Purchasers)
One Limited Edition Souvenir Concert Ticket
One Commemorative VIP Tour Laminate & Matching Lanyard* Venue seating configurations may vary by market.
THE GOLD VIP PACKAGE
Limit of 6 packages/tickets per order. Each package includes:
One Amazing Top Price Reserved Ticket in the First (10) Rows *
Plus Essential John Mellencamp VIP Merchandise:
One Exclusive John Mellencamp VIP Gift (Created Exclusively for VIP Package Purchasers)
One Limited Edition Souvenir Concert Ticket
One Commemorative VIP Tour Laminate & Matching Lanyard
* Venue seating configurations may vary by market.
