Nuvo.com: King of the Hoosiers John Mellencamp Bring The Rock To Central Indiana

Nuvo.net By Jeff Napler 

Elsewhere, the ghosts of Bob Dylan (I know, I know, he's not dead, but come on,) Jackie Wilson, and pre-superstardom Johnny Cougar bounced all over the place. The ghost of Johnny Cougar brought back long-neglected Coug classics like "I Need A Lover" and "Ain't Even Done With The Night." The ghost of Dylan insisted on changing up the arrangements of some of these classics. The aforementioned "I Need A Lover" and "Ain't Even Done With The Night," as well as "Crumblin' Down," had mellower, looser feels, while others like "Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)" and "Jack & Diane" were done as stripped-back acoustic versions. The difference was that, unlike Dylan's tinkering, you immediately knew what these songs were, and unlike the ghost of Bob's shit, this shit was enjoyable. The dancing ghost of Jackie Wilson popped up a few times during the set. Songs like "Lonely Ol' Night," "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to 60's Rock)" made every ass in the place shake.  

Crystal Taliefero was the show's unexpected superstar. Fuck. She played the saxophone, the bongos, and other percussion. At one point, she even strapped on a washboard. With Bassist John E. Gee and drum god Dane Clark providing some seriously stanky groove, she shone during "Pop Singer" and Van Morrison's "Wild Night," both of which were among the highlights of the show. Fellow back-up singer Eli Norman is getting quite the education, having a front row seat to the Crystal Taliefero show every night on this tour.

Dane and John E. kept things moving during the entire show, proving themselves to be one of the most formidable rhythm sections walking the planet today. Band leader Mike Wanchic and lead guitarist Andy York did some brilliant brightwork, giving these songs that unmistakable Mellencamp guitar sound. Meanwhile, keyboardist Troy Kinnett and master fiddle player Lisa Germano provided the oomph that make tunes like "Paper in Fire," "Cherry Bomb," and "Check It Out" crowd favorites.

But, make no mistake, the night belonged to John Mellencamp, and from when he came out at 9 o'clock with a lit cigarette in his mouth to when he ended the show over 2 hours later (The show ended 45 minutes after curfew, due to a weather delay), he was a master showman. It's amazing how much the man's voice is still the same as it's ever been, considering his 3-pack-a-day habit. Sure, he's got a bit of a hitch up in his git up, but he still prowls the stage better than most 74-year-olds could. When he pulled out lesser-known, non-Q95 staples like "Love and Happiness," "Thank You" and "Your Life Is Now," they were rocking and seamlessly took their place alongside the golden oldies like "Jack & Diane," "Small Town," and "Pink Houses."

At the end of the night, he gave Ruoff a barnstorming version of "Hurts So Good" to send everybody home. This might be the last time he and his killer band will play a huge show on a massive tour like this, I mean, the man is as good an artist as he is a rock star, who could blame him for painting away the rest of his days? But on this night, in the Indiana summer, surrounded by 30,000 of his peoples, My My My, Ol' John was the king of the Hoosiers.