For over four decades Seymour, Indiana’s John Mellencamp has been recording and performing all over the world. But last Sunday, Oct. 7, it was in St. Catharines where Mellencamp celebrated his 67th birthday for a near capacity crowd at the Meridian Centre.
Prior to Mellencamp’s appearance on stage there was a video which lasted about 25 minutes, talking about his life and career. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who felt that this was a bit too long, or was even necessary when Mellencamp – who has over 20 albums under his belt – could of filled that time with many noticeable missing songs instead.
Nonetheless, the music got underway around 8:30 P.M. as Mellencamp and his band made their way onto the stage kicking off the night with Lawless Times off Plain Spoken (2014), John Cockers off Life, Death, Love and Freedom (2008) and the more familiar Minutes to Memories off 1985’s Scarecrow.
The show was filled with some obvious song choices but for a tour that was billed as the Sad Clowns & Hillbillies Tour (which began in 2017) only one song from that album made it into the setlist – Easy Target, which didn’t appear until about half way into the show. A lot of Sunday’s set came from Mellencamp’s earlier work, mostly from the 80s.
Some of the more familiar songs continued and included Small Town, Lonely Ol’ Night and Check It Out.
Mellencamp’s band – longtime guitarist of 40 years Mike Wanchic, guitarist Andy York, violinist Miriam Sturm, drummer Dane Clark, bassist John Gunnell and keyboardist Troye Kinnett – all left the stage for a bit while Mellencamp did an acoustic set that started off with what became a sing-a-long of Jack and Diane. Mellencamp had to stop the song to tell the crowd that they missed a verse!
Then it was Mellencamp’s turn to leave the stage when his band, led by Sturm’s violin, played Overture. The show finished off with Rain On the Scarecrow, Paper In Fire, Crumblin’ Down, Authority Song (with Wilson’s Pickett’s Land of 1000 Dances) and Pink Houses.
After introducing his band, fans serenaded Mellencamp with Happy Birthday.
“Thank you very much,” said Mellencamp, adding, “Me at my age, it qualifies me, and Mike who’s my age, to talk about old times!”
After talking a bit more the show came to an end with 1987’s Cherry Bomb. And that’s where it ended. No encore.
Being a longtime Mellencamp fan here is a list of some notable missing songs that could of easily fit into the set:
I Need A Lover and Small Paradise off John Cougar (1979)
Hurts So Good, Thundering Hearts and Hand To Hold On To off American Fool (1982)
R.O.C.K. In the U.S.A., Between a Laugh and a Tear and Rumbleseat off Scarecrow (1985)
Jackie Brown, Pop Singer and Martha Say off Big Daddy (1989)
Love and Happiness and Get A leg Up off Whenever We Wanted (1991)
When Jesus Left Birmingham and Human Wheels off Human Wheels (1993)
Dance Naked and Wild Night off Dance Naked (1994)
Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First) off Mr. Happy Go Lucky (1996)
Your Life Is Now off John Mellencamp (1998)
And I’m sure there are more songs that could be added. But in the end there were enough little ditties to keep the crowd happy and remember the night John Mellencamp came to our Small Town to celebrate his birthday.
Setlist:
Lawless Times – Plain Spoken (2014)
John Cockers – Life, Death, Love and Freedom (2008)
Minutes to Memories – Scarecrow (1985)
Small Town – Scarecrow (1985)
Stones in My Passway – Trouble No More (2003) – Robert Johnson cover
Lonely Ol’ Night – Scarecrow (1985)
Check It Out – The Lonesome Jubilee (1987)
Longest Days (Life, Death, Love and Freedom – 2008)
Jack & Diane – American Fool (1982)
The Full Catastrophe – Mr. Happy Go Lucky (1996)
Easy Target – Sad Clowns & Hillbillies (2017)
Overture – Mr. Happy Go Lucky (1996)
Rain on the Scarecrow – Scarecrow (1985)
Paper in Fire – The Lonesome Jubilee (1987)
Crumblin’ Down – Uh-Huh (1983)
Authority Song / Land of 1000 Dances (Wilson Pickett cover) – Uh-Huh (1983)
Pink Houses – Uh-Huh (1983)
Cherry Bomb – The Lonesome Jubilee (1987)
All photos by Joel Naphin
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