John Mellencamp had a few PSAs for the crowd Thursday night as the blue-collar bard kicked off a three-night stand at the Chicago Theatre. “Things might get a little political.” “If you’re going to yell during the quiet songs you might as well leave.” And, perhaps his most affirmative warning, “This is not a concert, it’s a performance.”
True to his words, the two-hour production was a flip of the script for the rocker, who is now five decades into touring. Though billed as a standard “live and in person” night with the musician, it also had the air of a night at the movies, an overt nod to the 76-date tour’s corporate sponsor, Turner Classic Movies. It’s the first time Mellencamp has done such a thing, as the notorious corporate dodger has rebuffed any formal tour backing for years. Though, Mellencamp and TCM have become interesting bedfellows in the featured attraction, putting an emphasis on the singer-songwriter’s reputation as another one of America’s great storytellers.
