John Mellencamp at the Microsoft Theatre
By Russ Allsup
When the John Mellencamp Plain Spoken Tour came through Los Angeles
Tuesday night, it was a history lesson for those in attendance.
Not just for the songs that spanned the career of John Mellencamp, but for
the musical styles on display at the Microsoft Theater. Opening with
Lawless Times, the first three songs sounded like classic American tunes
straight from the 1920’s. Staying in that vein, he even played a Robert
Johnson song. Throughout the night he mixed his own classic songs such as
Jack and Diane, Pink Houses, and Rain On The Scarecrow that all brought
the crowd to its collective feet.
Opening act Carlene Carter came back out to duet with John twice, and
their voices perfectly complemented each other. The singer told stories
between songs in his plain spoken no frills manner, and the whole set came
across as no flash- it was purely about strong songs. After the twentieth
song, Cherry Bomb, he and the band exited the stage to thunderous applause
and proved once again that simple American flavored songs never go out of
style.
