John Mellencamp Still Fighting for Human Dignity

By John Roos

Heartland singer-songwriter John Mellencamp comes off as a bit cranky these days. It’s understandable. We’re all trying to find our way in this post-COVID era, and with the cost of living soaring out of control, easy’s (still) gettin’ harder every day, as veteran folkie Iris Dement so eloquently lamented back in 1994.

Mellencamp’s most recent release, last year’s Strictly a One-Eyed Jack, submits a fairly grim yet engaging collection of songs lurking in the darkness, with themes of disappointment and self-doubt at its center. Now 71 and singing with a nicotine-stained, rasp of a voice that would make Tom Waits proud, the Indiana-native and Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer has resigned himself to fighting for personal survival, as he makes clear in the bluesy song, “I Am a Man That Worries.” No time like the present to face one’s mortality head on.

So, what can fans expect who attend his upcoming Live and In Person 2023 local shows at the Golden Gate Theatre on March 17 and 18? If you’re thinking a couple of hours of gloom and doom, fear not. Reviews from his current tour-which feature a stellar backing band including guitarists Mike Wanchic (rhythm) and Andy York (lead), drummer Dane Clark, bassist John Gunnell (a.k.a. Jon E. Gee), and keyboardist/accordion player Troye Kinnett --plus the return of Lonesome Jubilee-era violinist Lisa Germano—have been good and document a well-balanced show with an appealing mix of songs from his entire catalog, and one that creates a predominantly upbeat vibe.

While Mellencamp has moved sonically during the past decade or so to more blues, folk, and roots music than radio-ready rock ‘n’ roll, he continues to focus topically on the plight of the common man, its injustices and inequities. We all know about his dedication to Middle America’s farmers since he co-founded with Neil Young and Willie Nelson the Farm Aid annual benefit concerts in 1985. Human decency and dignity remain his core values today. Only he’s looking more inward now, perhaps reconciled to the fact that each of us has a personal rather than overtly political battle to fight, yet one buoyed—however hard--by hope, resiliency, and commitment to community.

When I witnessed Mellencamp and his band in concert at Irvine Meadows in Southern California back in 1988 – a tour-stop on the much-lauded Lonesome Jubilee tour—I experienced a powerful, inspiring performance. The energy was palpable, the songs were socially- and politically-fueled, and the musicianship was first-rate.

Mellencamp was speaking for me, and I imagine many others, when he ferociously sang during the song, "The Real Life:"

"My whole life I've done what I'm supposed to do,
Now I'd like to maybe do something for myself,
And just as soon as I figure out what that is,
You can bet your life I'm gonna give it hell!"

It was a glorious night, indeed, but that was a long time ago. The question now is, can Mellencamp resonate with his audience like that today?

I would not bet against him.

*John Mellencamp and his band perform Friday and Saturday, March 17-18, at the Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor St., San Francisco, (415) 892-6299. 8 p.m. www.broadwaysf.com