A gum-chewing, guitar-wielding, mostly laconic John Mellencamp takes the stage at the Chicago Theatre in 2016 for this energetic 16-song set while touring for his 2014 release Plain Spoken. Backed by an excellent band that includes Mike Wanchic and Andy York on guitars, Miriam Sturm on "fiddle," John Gunnell on bass guitar, Troye Kinnett on keyboards, and Dane Clark on drums, Mellencamp opens with a couple of cuts from his latest before settling into a comfortable groove of hits and notables songs from his extensive catalog. Going all the way back to 1983 with the great rebel tune "Authority Song" ("I fight authority/Authority always wins"), Mellencamp regales the crowd with faves including "Small Town," "Check It Out," "Rain on the Scarecrow," "Paper in Fire," and "Pink Houses," while also serving up some lesser-known songs, including "The Full Catastrophe," a Tom Waits-channeling ode to life in all its messiness. One of the best moments finds Mellencamp telling a story about his dying grandmother before launching into the lovely, haunting "Longest Days" ("Life is short even in its longest days"). Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include audio commentary by Mellencamp and a bonus audio CD. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)
Plain Spoken: John Mellencamp from the Chicago Theatre
(2017) 87 min. DVD: $21.98, Blu-ray: $26.98. Eagle Rock Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Volume 33, Issue 4
Plain Spoken: John Mellencamp from the Chicago Theatre
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