Photos by Andy Argyrakis

On any given evening, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer John Mellencamp could easily fill an arena, but nothing beat the chance to catch him in the much closer environment of the landmark Chicago Theatre.

Granted, it took three shows on the “Live And In Person” Tour to match the demand, and since each sold out, more could’ve probably been added, especially considering it’s been six years since the singer/songwriter and his trusty band have been to the area.

In between, he released a covers collection, “Other People’s Stuff,” and returned to personal penmanship throughout 2022’s “Strictly A One-Eyed Jack,” plus others are already coming down the pipeline, but at least as far as opening night concerned, about two thirds of it was spent in the 1980s and ‘90s when Mellencamp was seriously unstoppable.

Even at 71-years-old, he continues to be fairly indestructible with age, in spite of a lifetime of smoking, only adding perspective to the richly illustrated stories that have personified the heartland experience as perfectly as possible, while gradually introducing broader societal assessments, which are as ripe for the picking right now as they’ve ever been.

“John Cockers” got the two-hour set off to a rootsy, blusey start, but the Cougar followed closely behind with “Paper In Fire,” “Minutes To Memories” and “Small Town,” much to the satisfaction of the cross-generational crowd.

The thought-provoking tone escalated as Mellencamp urged everyone to unify as Americans, rather than dividing by the left and the right surrounding “Hey God,” examined the “Human Wheels” that make the world go round and pondered poverty in “Jackie Brown.”

By contrast, “Check It Out” was pure jubilation, prior to unplugging for the homelessness-themed “The Eyes of Portland,” though an acoustic rendition of “Jack & Diane” fell somewhere in between as the headliner seemed to take a reflective detour, yet fans hollered along.

The latter vibe continued Mellencamp and company poured some “Rain On The Scarecrow,” imagined it was a “Lonely Ol’ Night,” cleverly combined “Crumblin’ Down” with the Van Morrison-led Them’s “Gloria,” stopped to see some “Pink Houses” and stormed through so many more amounting to nothing but sheer timelessness.

For additional information on John Mellencamp, visit Mellencamp.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Chicago Theatre include John Mellencamp (Apr. 14-15); Lady A (Apr. 20); Tink & Friends (Apr. 23); Brit Floyd (May 5); Gladys Knight (May 11); Druski (May 13); Jagged Edge & Dru Hill (May 14); Crowded House (May 15); Natalie Merchant (May 19); Billy Porter (May 26); Seal (May 27); Rodrigo y Gabriela (Jun. 16); Lyle Lovett (Jun. 18); Jinkx Monsoon (Jul. 14); Kansas (Jul. 15) and Jill Scott (Jul. 24-25). For additional details, visit TheChicagoTheatre.com.

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